Later Years
by Mrs. Otori
Summary: Five years have passed since the collapse of Easter, and the Guardians are facing much more complex problems than those of their Elementary School days. Also, a new enemy is slowly rising, one that the Guardians themselves might have created...
1. Apprehensions

Shugo Chara

Later Years

One:

**Apprehensions**

Amu Hinamori was about to start her second year of High School. And she still didn't know what she wanted to do with her life. She sighed and rolled over to face her alarm clock. Just after four A.M. She hadn't slept all night. She sighed and brought a thin forearm up to rest over her eyes. This had happened every year since she started junior high school. Amu had thought for sure she would have some idea as to what she would do when she graduated by now. Sadly, each year she grew closer and closer to becoming an adult. Soon, she would be moving out, having a family of her own. But, how would she support this family if she didn't find something she was good at?

Thoughts such as these ran through her head every year. She thought about calling Tadase. Tadase Hotori had been her official boyfriend for four years now, and was probably the best part of her life. She sighed again. He would be sleeping soundly in his bed at this hour. He would need his rest; he was the class president. Amu smiled. That was the kind of person Tadase was. Sweet, caring, responsible…and he wanted to rule the world. Well, his Chara did, anyway. Amu's smile grew wider. Tadase's Guardian Chara, Kiseki, was born from his wish to grow stronger as a person. Somehow, that had also grown into the wish to be King of the world.

Amu sighed and rolled up into a ball. She closed her golden eyes and finally fell asleep with a smile.

Her dreams, though, wiped that smile off her face in a heartbeat.

* * *

"Onee-chan! Wake up!" Amu's eleven-year-old sister, Ami Hinamori, yelled as she bounced on Amu's bed. "You'll be late for your first day back at school!"

Amu groaned. Ever since their mother had gotten her job at a famous magazine company, (this, Amu found ironic, considering the rumors that were spread when she was in Elementary school…) she worked earlier and Ami had become in charge of getting her big sister up in the morning. Amu yawned and opened her eyes slightly. "Ami, go away," she groaned and pushed her baby sister off her yellow-colored bedspread.

This, Ami didn't like. She snorted and yanked the comforter off the bed. "Up, Onee-chan!" she demanded as the yellow sheet hit the carpet.

Amu shivered and grumbled as she slowly sat up. She opened her eyes to glare at Ami. "Well, I'm up. So get out," she commanded her sister.

Ami ignored her and spun on her heel to a wicker basket that sat on Amu's white desk. She happily skipped over and leaned down to where four checked eggs rested inside. She tapped the pink one with hearts and said, "Ran! Wake up!" Then proceeded to do the same with the blue, green and finally yellow one, calling each of their names as she tapped. "Miki, Suu, Dia! Time to get up!"

Amu sighed and threw her legs off the side of the bed. "Ami, why don't you worry about your own guardian and leave mine be?" Ami's Guardian Character, Alima, born from Ami's love of song and dance, was sitting happily on the brown haired girl's right shoulder. Ami had had her for three years now and had been bugging Amu about why she had four instead of one. This, Amu couldn't really answer…

Ami stood with a smile and, again, ignored her sister. "Hurry up and get dressed, Onee-chan." With a giggle from Ami's chara, the skipped out of the room, Ami's waist-length ringlets bouncing with each step.

Amu sighed and walked to her closet, where her new school uniform resided, untouched. Ran yawned and floated up to Amu, followed by Miki, Suu, and Dia. "Ready for another year, Amu-chan?"

Amu sighed. "Not really, no." She smiled as she pulled her uniform out of the closet and laid it on her bed. "It _will _be nice to see Tadase-kun, Rima, Yaya and Nagihiko again though," she said as she started unbuttoning her plaid pajama top.

Suu giggled. "You just saw them all two days ago, Amu-chan!" she reminded the pink-haired girl.

Amu smiled as she pulled on the first part of her uniform, a white, button-up shirt. "I know, but…" She laughed and yanked on the black and pink coat and pulled her collar down. "Won't _you _be happy to be with all the other Charas again?"

Suu nodded, smiling. "Yes, yes! It will be very nice to see Kiseki-san and Rhythm-san and…"

Amu smiled as her clover-themed Chara listed all the other Shugo Charas they knew and pulled on her new, black skirt. "Miki," she said as she turned to the blue-haired, floating girl. "Did you finish the design for the additions to my uniform yet?" she asked.

Miki nodded and pulled a notepad from her dark blue side bag. "Here it is!" she announced proudly as she ripped out a tiny piece of paper and turned it to Amu.

The golden-eyed girl took it as it popped with a blue light to a normal size. She smiled as she looked it over. "Wow, Miki! This is awesome!"

Miki smirked as if to say "naturally!" as a blue-handled paintbrush appeared in her tiny hands in place of the notepad. "Drew, draw, drawn!" she chanted as she waved the paintbrush over her Character bearer.

Magically, long, dark gray socks, tipped with dark pink with tiny bows on the sides, popped onto her feet and legs as a black glove that cut off ¼ way up her fingers with a pink heart, blue spade, green clover, and yellow-orange diamond arranged in a red circle on it appeared on her right hand. Next, a dark pink band wrapped itself around Amu's left thigh, just below her dark gray skirt. To complete the look, a silver chain with the familiar lock dangling off the middle, a small pink heart and blue spade on one side, a green clover and yellow diamond charms on the other appeared on her neck. Amu twirled and smiled as she evaluated herself in the mirror on the back of her cream door.

"Wow, Miki," Suu said as she smiled at Amu's new uniform. "You have really out done yourself!"

Miki blushed and crossed her little arms over her black vest.

Amu smiled and turned back to her Charas. "I think I'm ready to go!"


	2. Reunited

**Reunited**

Amu's stomach was twisted in knots as she fiddled with her new necklace in front of the Seiyo Academy High School. She turned to Dia. "Do you see them yet?"

Dia, who had remained out of her egg for the past two years, had a small hand above her orange eyes as she scanned the area for Amu's friends. "Not yet, Amu-chan. Has Rima-chan texted you back yet?"

Amu bit her lip and scowled as she pulled out her pink cell phone. She hadn't felt it vibrate, but she just wanted to check. No messages. Amu sighed. "Nothing." She snapped the phone shut and tapped her foot impatiently. "Where could they-?"

Amu's inquiry was interrupted when large, pale hands clutched her thin shoulders as a deep, yet slightly girly voice whispered, "Amu-chan!"

"AAAAH!" Amu screamed as she flailed and ran from the purple-haired boy, who was now laughing. "Nagihiko! Don't _do _that!" Amu laughed as she yelled it at her friend, Nagihiko Fujisaki.

Nagihiko tilted his head with a smile, causing his dark, waist-length hair to sweep into a short, blonde girl's face. She raised her tiny hands to brush it away and smiled at Amu. "Good morning, Amu."

Amu's eyes sparkled as she saw her two best friends smiling together. She laughed and ran to them, enclosing them in a large embrace. She closed her misty eyes as they brought their own arms up around her. Amu laughed. Such a small thing was making her so emotional. But, knowing she would still have a couple more years with her friends without a care in the world was enough to take her mind off her looming graduation. She pulled an arm's length back and smiled at her friends. "Where's Kukai and Yaya and Tadase-kun?" she asked, remembering their other friends.

Rima pushed her tall boyfriend aside and said, "Just behind you."

Amu quickly spun around. And just in time. The first thing she saw were the big, brown eyes of her sixteen-year-old friend before they collided. "AAA-mu-chi!" Yaya Yuiki sang as they tumbled to the ground. _This _was Yaya's idea of a hug.

Amu didn't mind, though. She laughed and hugged her baby-like friend back. "Good morning, Yaya! Where's Pepe and Hoshi?" Amu asked.

Hoshi was Yaya's second Chara, who had appeared three years ago when the girl discovered she also wanted to become a professional dancer as well as a baby forever. Hoshi was almost identical to her bearer and sister Chara, Pepe, but she wore her light brown hair in a tight bun and a pink ballerina tutu.

Yaya stood and dusted off her black and pink uniform before spinning on her heel and calling, "Pepe-chan! Hoshi-chan"

Almost immediately after, the tiny, baby chara and petite ballerina girl floated up to Yaya. "Good morning-desu!" Pepe piped through the pacifier that was always in her little mouth.

"Good to see you again," Hoshi nodded to Amu with a smile that lit up her golden eyes.

Amu giggled and greeted the pink-clad charas as she brushed off her uniform. "Are you-?"

"Such insolence!"

Amu was again interrupted by a deep voice that didn't quite fit such a tiny person. To be exact; it was Tadase's violet-haired chara, Kiseki. "How dare you greet a commoner before your king!"

Amu shook her head with a smile. And _he _was supposed to rule the world? The golden-eyed girl laughed and greeted the little king with a sarcastic apology.

Kiseki didn't really grasp _sarcasm _though. He _humphed! _and said, "Apology accepted, commoner."

Amu suppressed a giggle and looked past Kiseki to see her blonde boyfriend attempting to stifle his own laughter. Amu tried to hide her utter bliss at seeing the young prince as she strode over to him. "Good morning, T-Tadase-kun," she stuttered and blushed as she greeted him.

Tadase tilted his head to the side, closed his reddish-violet eyes, and smiled; his little Tadase-smile that Amu adored. "Good morning, Amu-chan."

Amu smiled and drew the seventeen-year-old into a long-awaited hug that seemed to last for days. But when Tadase gently pulled away, Amu realized it had only lasted a few seconds, and that wasn't nearly long enough. Amu smiled at the blonde before being knocked to the ground for the second time that morning.

"Hinamori!" Kukai shouted, laughing.

Amu laughed, too. "Kukai!" she said, remembering the long, torturing hours they'd spent in 'special training.' Well, it seemed long to Amu. "I can't believe you're graduating this year!" she exclaimed before she could stop herself.

Kukai laughed as he stood and held a tan hand down to Amu, who took it gratefully and stood. "Me either! Seems like just yesterday I was a sixth-grader!"

Amu smiled at him as his Chara, Daichi, floated up beside him. "Yo!" he grinned, bouncing a tiny soccer ball off his knee.

Amu laughed as she felt the warmth of their little family. They were all together again; the King, the first Queen, the second Queen, the Ace, the first Jack, the third Jack…

Amu's face drooped a little as she realized they actually _weren't _all there. One person was missing: Kairi Sanjo: The second Jack.


	3. Normalcy

**Normalcy**

Amu sighed with relief when she saw she was in the same class as Tadase, Rima, and Nagihiko. She attempted to act indifferent when she announced the news to Tadase.

"We'll have to find seats together," he proposed with a smile. His voice had deepened considerably since the time Amu had met him in fifth grade, but he still had the same sweet, boy-ish tone as always. His hair had stayed the same, shining blonde with stray strands sticking up at random in the front.

Amu nodded and smiled as she turned to Rima and Nagihiko, who were sitting on a bench not too far away. Rima was leaning against his masculine chest while she listened to him speak. Yaya and Kukai were a few feet away, arguing about something or other. Nagihiko stopped talking and Rima looked up as Tadase and Amu strode up to them. Yaya and Kukai put their discussion on hold and joined them.

"Class 3-B for Rima, Nagihiko, Tadase-kun and me; class 2-F for Yaya, and class 4-A for Kukai," Amu announced.

Nagihiko smiled and curled one of Rima's honey blonde ringlets around his finger absently. "So, we're in the same class again?" he asked with a sarcastic smile, The four had been in the same classes for years now. Amu had decided not to question their good fortune and just accept it.

Amu nodded with a smile. "Then we'd better get to class, huh?"

The young, dark green-haired boy took a deep breath. He was starting high school today, one year early. He had taken the entrance exam at the end of his second year of middle school, hoping to return to Seiyo Academy sooner than usual, and, by some miracle, had passed.

Class 1-B at Seiyo Academy High School; somewhere he hadn't been in years. He swore he would return, and here he was. Though, now, he wasn't so sure he was ready. But, it was too late to turn back, he told himself as he pushed his rectangular glasses up his nose. The reflective surface caught a few rays of early spring sunlight and glinted white for a moment. He looked up and shifted the weight of his small, black backpack on his right shoulder and began walking into the school.

"Kaaaai-ri!"

Kairi Sanjo stopped short and turned to the voice of his older sister. "Hai, Nee-san?" he asked her.

"Come home as soon as you can after school today, okay?" Yukari Sanjo called from the black car that was parked, but running, in front of the school. He could hear his new baby nephew giggling in the back seat. "I have to pick up Yuki from the day care before we finish unpacking your things!"

Kairi sighed. Of course, he already knew this, but his sister was a new mother, so she was a bit scattered. "Hai, Nee-san," he said with a small smile.

Once he had made sure his sister had left the school without further comment, he turned back to face the large, white buildings.

"Kairi."

Kairi turned to his floating, samurai-themed Guardian Chara. "Yes, Musashi?"

"Are you prepared for the consequences of your return?" he asked with concern.

Kairi took another deep breath. "I certainly hope so," he muttered.

Musashi nodded and closed his purple eyes as they walked(and floated) into the school.

"Ami, Mama, I'm home!" Amu called as she walked in the front door after school. "Phew!" she sighed as she fell onto the light lavender couch in her living room.

"Onee-chan!" Ami cried as she ran to her sister. "How was your first day?" she asked with a smile.

Amu sighed again. "Pretty normal actually. Ah, I gotta change!" she suddenly cried as she jumped up from the couch.

Alima floated up from Ami's shoulder and asked, "What's your rush, Amu-chan?" she asked in her tiny voice. Alima wore a little, powder blue dress and her hair under a little, dark blue hat with a music note clipped on the side. She also wore tiny, white high heels and gloves, usually holding a microphone. "You just got home!"

"I know, but I'm going to see a movie with Tadase-kun and-!" Amu began before her father's cry cut her off.

"AAAAAAAA-MU-CHAN?"

Amu cringed. "Papa…" she sighed.

"You're going on a…a…" Amu's father stuttered, horrified. "ON A DATE?"

Amu smiled at her pathetic father. What would he do when she was going to get married? She shook her head. "Papa, you didn't let me finish. Rima, Kukai, Nagihiko, Yaya _and _Tadase-kun are going with me. And," Amu continued, a bit annoyed at what she had just realized. "What if I _was _going on a date?" She stuck her hands on her hips and scowled at her father. "Tadase-kun and I have been _dating _for four years now! Why can't you get used to the idea that I'm _seventeen_, Papa?"

Her father frowned with big, puppy-dog eyes. "A…Amu-chan…I just don't want to lose my-!"

"Little girl, I know, I know!" Amu finished his sentence sarcastically. "Papa," she sighed with a weak smile. "I'm not that little anymore. But, you still have Ami," she waved a hand at her little sister on the couch, "as your 'little girl' for at least six more years," she said with a wink.

This seemed to cheer her father up a bit. "Oh, Amu-chan!" he cried as her crushed her in a large hug.

Amu rolled her eyes lovingly and pushed away. "I have to get ready now," she said with a subtle head tilt to Ami before running up the stairs.

Kairi sighed and collapsed onto his bed, sending tiny dust particles floating into the air. He coughed and waved a thin, pale hand around his face as he scowled.

"I see Yukari has not used your old room for anything since you left, Kairi," Musashi said blankly as he waved the dust from his own face.

Kairi sighed again, this time, smiling. "She says she'll be turning it into a nursery for Yuki soon," he said as looked around his old room. "I suppose I'll be sharing with him for a little while." He laid down on the bed.

His feet thudded on the floor.

Kairi raised an eyebrow and sat up. He had grown a considerable amount since he had left, but he didn't think he would have outgrown his old bed so much. He smiled and tucked his bare feet beneath him. He would have to sleep on the floor until his current bed reached his new residence.

"We returned for the former Joker, Amu Hinamori, yet we did not see her today," Musashi noted.

Kairi nodded and pushed his glasses up his nose. "Do you think she will _want _to see me?" he wondered, his eyebrows knitting together. "The former King, Tadase Hotori, must have confessed his own feelings by now..."

Musashi nodded. "Now is not the time to be having second thoughts, Kairi," he said.

Kairi sighed. "I know. I only hope we will see her tomorrow."


	4. Anxiety

**Anxiety**

"Your bed should be here any day now, Kairi," Yukari Nikaido announced, her cell phone pressed against her ear. "Yuu will pick it up this weekend."

Kairi nodded and stretched. His back was killing him from his night spent on the floor of his untouched-for-five-years room. "A-arigato, Nee-san." His sister nodded and left Kairi to dress for his second day of high school.

About fifteen minutes later, Kairi was dressed and out the door. "Huh?" Yuu Nikaido, who was cradling his infant son, asked as Kairi opened the door. "No breakfast?"

The boy shook his head and pushed his glasses up his nose, one hand on the door handle. "I'm…not hungry."

Nikaido smiled. He obviously saw through that. Truthfully, Kairi was just too anxious to eat anything. Still, his brother-in-law let him escape with nothing more than a wink.

"Kairi, what do you plan to say to her when you see her?" Musashi asked as they walked to Seiyo Academy High School.

Kairi pondered this a moment. "I'm not positive. Hopefully it'll come to me when I see her." Kairi shrugged it off.

Musashi shook his head. "I hope you know what you're getting into…"

Kairi sighed. "So do I," he mumble, inaudible to his Shugo Chara.

Amu didn't want to be scared out of her mind again like her first day back at school, so she arranged to have the others meet at her house that morning.

"Onee-chan!" Ami called from the living room. "Tadase-chan and the others are here!"

Amu sighed. They were a bit early. "I'll be down in a minute!" she called as she picked up her hair accessory for the day. Today, she chose the black and silver, heart-shaped clip Tadase had bought for her so long ago. She clipped it into her side-swept ponytail and whisked herself (followed by her Charas) down the stairs.

Tadase had been sitting on the couch next to Ami, listening to her patiently while he waited for Amu. _Well_, she thought, _wait no longer, my prince! _She slowed her run down the stairs to a gentle walk as she entered the room. Tadase was 'Tadase-smiling' at Ami when his reddish violet eyes fell on her older sister.

He gently held up a hand to stop Ami's story kindly and stood as Amu stepped off the last stair and into the room. Then, his eyes spotted the black clip in her bubblegum pink hair and sparkled even brighter. Amu blushed as he took her hand and kissed her cheek when she reached them. "Good morning, Amu-chan."

Amu swallowed and smiled. "G-good morning, Tadase-kun; Rima, Nagihiko, Kukai, Yaya." She nodded and smiled to each of her friends as she said their name and they stood.

"We'd better be going then," Nagihiko said as he pulled a pale Rima to the door. When he took a second look at her, he frowned and whispered something in her ear. She blushed and smiled at him, shaking her head.

Amu didn't think much of it and pulled Tadase in their direction, their own hands still intertwined. Yaya followed with Kukai after a quick hug from Ami and they were into the fresh spring air. Amu smiled and breathed in the sweet smells of April.

She blushed when she heard Tadase laugh. "What?" she asked.

"I love you, Amu-chan," he said. He had said it to her every day for years, and Amu never got tired of hearing it. "I always will. It made me so happy to see that you still wear that clip I bought for Amulet Heart." He blushed, remembering his silly crush on one of Amu's Character Transformations back when they were in fifth grade.

Amu smiled and blushed herself as she watched Kukai and Yaya arguing (but smiling) yet again and, just a few steps ahead of them, Rima and Nagihiko swung their embraced hands as they walked. "Of course. I remember that day so well. To be honest, I thought of it as a date the whole time." Amu giggled as her blush deepened.

Tadase laughed. "I should have realized that whom I really loved was you by then, Amu-chan," he continued. "I was foolish, and hurt you when I told you I liked Amulet Heart better. I'm sorry." He gave her an apologetic smile.

Amu blushed. She hadn't expected this. She never knew Tadase still held regrets about such a long time ago. She smiled and leaned into kiss his lips.

He returned the kiss as they stopped walking and Amu wrapped her arms around him. They didn't do this often, due to the fact Amu is embarrassed easily, but she was so overcome with his confession that she just had to kiss him.

They were falling behind, but neither of the lovers noticed. That is, until they heard Kukai whistle.

"How can you guys breathe like that?" he asked, laughing.

Amu blushed and pulled away, leaving her hand in Tadase's as they continued walking without a word.


	5. Greeting

**Greeting**

_I have to find her! _Kairi thought desperately as he walked down the halls of Seiyo Academy High School. _I've come this far! I can't give up! _He took a deep breath and tried to steady himself. There were ten minutes until the bell rang; that gave him plenty of time to find Amu Hinamori. Speaking of which, what would he call her? He had always called her 'Joker' when she held that position in the Seiyo Academy Elementary School Guardians, but now that position did not exist. Not in High School, anyway.

Kairi mulled this over for a minute. _Hinamori, I have returned to ask- _no, no, no. Too formal. _Hi, Amu-chan, it's Kairi. I'm back! _Even worse! It made him sound like a loser! _Good morning, Amu. Been awhile, huh? _Yes! That would do; not too formal, but not too casual. Yes, he would begin with that. He pushed his glasses up his nose and smiled. Now, all he had to do was find her.

There! All too easily, he spotted the pink-haired teenager as she entered the school. Yet, Kairi's heart dropped a bit as he saw her fingers intertwined with the former King, Tadase Hotori. Be that as it may, Kairi was not about to admit defeat. He came to speak to her, and that he would. He took another deep breath and strode up to where all the former guardians were entering the school. At first, they didn't really notice him, until Tadase took a second look.

"Ch-Chairman?" he stuttered.

Kairi nodded. "Hello, Hotori-kun. Good morning-," Kairi began to say his rehearsed greeting when he was tackled by the very girl he was attempting to greet.

"Chairman!" she cried with a smile. "You finally came back!"

Kairi couldn't help but grin and blush as the two fell to the ground. "Yes. I've moved back in with my sister and her husband. You remember Yuu Nikaido, right?"

Amu's eyes lit up as she recalled her old teacher. "Nikaido-sensei and Sanjo-san got married? That's wonderful!" She laughed, causing Kairi's blush to spread a bit, as she stood and offered a hand to him.

He took it and stood, brushing his uniform off. He turned when he heard the all-too-familiar high-pitched laugh of Yaya Yuiki. "That's the third time you've been on the ground this week, Amu-chi!" she said.

Kairi's eyebrows lifted a bit. _The third time? _He smiled and brushed it aside. "Been awhile, huh?" he finally finished his greeting.

Amu nodded and laughed. "Much too long! Look how tall you've gotten!"

It was true; he had grown much taller. He now towered over the seventeen-year-old by at least three inches. Then again, he had always been tall for his age. The only one in the group that seemed to match his height was the Jack that had followed him; Nagihiko Fujisaki. When Kairi stepped to the dark purple-haired boy, he saw he was actually a bit taller than blue-eyed teen. "Nagihiko Fujisaki. Nice to finally meet you," he said, holding out a hand to the masculine teenager.

Nagihiko grasped it in a grip the widened Kairi's eyes for a moment. "You too. Rhythm, Temari, come meet the second Jack, Kairi Sanjo," Nagihiko called behind him where two similar Shugo Charas floated with the other familiar charas of the others. When their names were called, they flew over to their bearer.

One had identical hair to Nagihiko and wore a skater's outfit with a beanie and thick headphones wrapped around his tiny neck. The other was clearly feminine, with magenta colored hair and wore a pink kimono decorated with darker sakura flowers. Kairi adjusted his glasses and greeted the twin Charas, introducing them to his own Character.

"I am honored to meet the two of you," Musashi said as he floated up to the two.

Kairi then realized who Nagihiko was. "You are also the former Queen's chair; Nadeshiko Fujisaki, aren't you?"

Nagihiko nodded with a smile. "Yup, that's me. Eh, Rima-chan," he said as his expression turned to that of worry when he turned his attention to a familiar petite blonde girl that was leaned up against one of the pillars at the entrance to the school. When Kairi took a second look, it seemed as though she was actually using the pillar for support. Her complexion was not the lively pink that it normally was, but extremely pale with a sickly tint of green.

"Rima-chan!" Nagihiko exclaimed when the small teenager brought a hand up to cover her mouth as she collapsed a bit more against the white pillar. When Kairi looked back to face forward, all he could see of Nagihiko were a few strands of purple hair as he whisked toward Rima, a pair of headphones, identical to Rhythm's, around his neck. Kairi deduced that he had chara-changed with the Chara and gained speed to quicker reach the seventeen-year-old's side.

He confirmed this when he saw Nagihiko kneeling slightly by Rima's side, the headphones now gone. When he kneeled, he was barely shorter that the blonde. He brought two large hands up to grasp Rima's shoulders as she began to sway. "Rima-chan, are you feeling alright?" he asked, his voice filled with concern.

Rima looked up, her expression a mix of fear, dread and sadness paired with large, amber eyes that just begged for forgiveness for something. "I-I don't kn-know…" she murmured before she ran.


	6. It's Just Food Poisoning

**It's Just Food Poisoning…**

"Rima-chan?" Nagihiko called through the door to the girls' bathroom, where she had taken refuge shortly after the former Jack and Rima's old friend, Kairi Sanjo, had returned. "Rima-chan, are you alright?"

Rima took a deep, shaky breath as she stared at herself in the bathroom mirror. She leaned down into the running sink and splashed water into her mouth. After rinsing and spitting the water out again, she called to her boyfriend of three years, "I'm fine, Nagi. I'm coming out now." A moment later, she was forcing a smile as she looked up into the amber-brown eyes of Nagihiko, who sighed with relief.

"You had me worried, Rima-chan," he said with a crooked smile before he leaned down and kissed her cheek. "Come on, we'd better get you to the nurse," he said as he turned, holding her hand.

Rima opened her mouth to argue, but when they began to step forward, the world began to spin and she fell forward. Luckily, Nagihiko was quick enough to catch her.

"Rima?" Kusukusu, Rima's clown-themed chara crooned as Nagihiko cradled the tiny blonde in his arms.

He smiled, but it was clouded with worry. "Come on, Rima-chan…"

* * *

"Will she be all right?" Nagihiko asked as the school's nurse checked Rima's temperature.

"Yes, Fujisaki-kun," she said. "Mashiro-san should be fine. She doesn't seem to have a temperature, so I'm guessing it's just stress."

Rima took a deep breath. "Or maybe it was something I ate?" she suggested.

The nurse nodded. "Perhaps. Either way, Mashiro-san, you cannot stay at school today. Fujisaki-kun," she turned to the young man at Rima's side. "Would you escort Mashiro-san home? I will tell your teacher you have my permission."

Nagihiko nodded and helped Rima stand. Her sudden nausea had passes for the most part, but he held onto her the entire time as they walked out of the school. "I'll let the others know you went home," he said as they began the walk toward her apartment.

Rima nodded and clutched her lover's hand, though her tiny fingers didn't quite reach all the way around it. "Nagihiko," she began. "Th…thank you."

Nagihiko smiled. "Don't worry, Rima-chan. You'll be better in no time, like the nurse said."

Rima took a deep breath and grasped his hand tighter. "I hope so…" she whispered.

* * *

Amu couldn't help but worry about Rima. Was she doing okay? Why did she get sick earlier? Was she coming back to class or would Nagihiko take her home? These and a thousand other questions were zipping through the seventeen-year-old's head at lightning speed as she tapped her pencil against her lip, a scowl disturbing her features.

Her thoughts were broken when a hand fell gently on her shoulder. Amu turned to her right where Tadase sat, a touch of concern in his smile.

"Amu-chan," he whispered. "Don't worry. Mashiro-san will be fine, and you can call her tonight, right?"

Amu sighed and smiled, relaxing a bit. "You're right. If she doesn't come back to class, I'll call her when I get home. Arigato, Tadase-kun." He smiled and returned his hand to his notes.

Amu took a deep breath and started copying the notes written on the board. That's right; if she didn't return to class, all Amu had to do was call her. That eased her thoughts a bit…for now.

The first thing Amu did when she returned home was run up the stairs to her bedroom, where she quickly tossed her schoolbag onto the bed and picked up the phone. As it turned out, Nagihiko _had_ taken Rima home that morning. Smiling, Amu remembered the times when they used to be rivals. Back then; Amu still had no idea that Nadeshiko and Nagihiko were the same person…

_"Temari!" Amu exclaimed when she saw the familiar Chara floating beside Nagihiko's head. "Is Nadeshiko here?"_

_Nagihiko's cheeks flushed pink. "You see, Amu-chan," he said slowly. "You'd better sit down…it's a long story…"_

_Amu tilted her head and sat across from him at the Royal Garden's tea table. It had only been a week since the collapse of Easter so there hadn't been much for the Guardians to do in the category of X Egg hunting. This also meant a week since Temari had come back out of her egg. Nagihiko began to tell his best friend who he really was; that he was the same person as Nadeshiko Fujisaki._

_"So, I was raised as a girl my whole life until now," Nagihiko concluded almost half-an-hour later._

_Amu let out a long breath and fell back against her chair. "So, all this time," Amu asked. "You were actually Nadeshiko, but you couldn't tell me?"_

_Nagihiko cringed. "I wanted to, Amu-chan, but I was just-"_

_Amu looked down and was silent for a while. Just when Nagihiko thought the wait would kill him, the girl looked up. "I wish you could have told me. I missed Nadesh–well, you– for so long, and you were right here all this time."_

_Nagi avoided the intense, golden-eyed gaze, embarrassed and regretting hiding his identity. "I'm sorry, Amu-chan..."_

_Both children were speechless for what seemed like hours. Finally, Amu broke the silence. "But, I guess you still _are_ my best friend, so I have to forgive you."_

_The boy looked up, shocked at the other's words. "Y-you-?"_

_Amu smiled and winked. "It's okay, Nagihiko. I get why you couldn't tell me. I just wonder how Rima will react when she finds out," she said with a giggle._

_"Eh, haha, you see…" Nagihiko blushed and laughed nervously. "She sort of overheard me confess to Nobuko-sensei that I the last time we met, I was a girl. She could sense it, I suppose." He laughed again._

_Amu raised an eye brow. "So, Yaya's the only one who still doesn't know then?"_

_Nagihiko nodded. "I guess we'd better tell her, huh?"_

_Amu smiled. "She hates being kept out of the loop. Come on, let's find her."_

Amu smiled, remembering the day she learned the truth back in the sixth grade as she picked up the phone. Before she had a chance to dial her best female friend's number, the phone began to ring. "Mushi Mushi?" Amu said when she answered.

"Amu?"

"Rima!" the golden-eyed girl exclaimed when she heard the high voice of the girl she was just about to call. "How are you? Do you have a fever? What happened when-?"

Amu's rapid-fire questions were cut off when Rima said, "I need to talk to you, Amu. Can you come over right now?"

Amu was a bit surprised by this sudden question. "Um, sure. You're mother doesn't mind if I come over when you're sick?"

"She's at work, but I don't know. I just…really need to talk to you about something." Rima's voice was beginning to shake. Amu could tell she was upset about something.

"Sure," she said as she began to change out of her uniform. "I'll be over as soon as I can."


	7. Confession

**Confession**

Rima sat with her feet curled beneath her on the living room couch in her mother's apartment. Her stomach was twisted in knots as she waited for her best friend to arrive. It had been five minutes since she had hung up with the pink-haired teenager, but the wait was killing her.

Finally, there was a buzz from the front door. Rima jumped up from the faded ivory cushions and ran to the door, Kusukusu trailing. "Rima?" the clown Chara crooned worriedly. "What are you gonna tell her?"

Rima took a deep breath, her hand on the door handle. "The truth." She pulled the door open, revealing the, slightly taller, golden-eyed seventeen-year-old, Amu Hinamori. "Amu," she breathed, relieved.

"Rima!" Amu exclaimed, hugging the tiny blonde. "I was so worried! You sounded upset on the phone and I– what's wrong?" she asked when Rima started to quiver.

Rima took in a shaky breath and pulled back from Amu's hug. She blinked back tears as she led the pink-haired girl into her room, down the hall. Once she had pushed Amu into the small room, she closed the door and locked it behind her, then turned slowly to face her best friend. "Amu…" she whispered, tears in her amber-yellow eyes. "I don't know what to do."

Amu's face was clouded with worry for her friend as Rima pushed herself up against the door, shaking. "Rima, what is it?" she asked, extending her hand a bit as if she could pull the blonde out of her pain. "Did the nurse say you have the flu or something?"

Rima shook her head, her hands quivering as she fiddled with the chipping paint on the door she was pressed up against. "N-no…it-it has something to do with Nagi, too."

Amu's pink eyebrows knit together. "I-I don't understand…" she said.

Rima took a deep, shaky breath. "I…I'm…" Her voice cracked and tears began to spill from her eyes as she slid down the door and collapsed on the carpet, a sobbing heap of curly blonde hair and paler-than-normal skin.

Amu sucked in a shocked and worried breath as the pieces clicked together in her head. "Rima, you're not…?" she asked slowly.

The blonde girl gulped down a sob and wailed, "Yes! I'm-I'm-!"

"Pregnant?" Amu choked out, causing Rima to sob harder. "Oh, Rima!" she wailed, running to her expecting friend.

Rima felt Amu's arms wrap around her uncontrollably shaking shoulders and reached up to hold her. "I-I don't-know what-to do-!" she wailed between sobs.

"Have you told Nagihiko yet?" Amu asked as she held her.

Rima shook her head as she wiped her eyes. "I just found out the weekend before school started. Oh, Amu, what am I going to do?" she sobbed, burying her face in her hair. "My parents split up because I was almost kidnapped; what are they going to do when they find out about _this_?" She flung her little arms around Amu's neck and sobbed. "Plus, they'll never support the baby if it's born out of wedlock! I-I don't know what to do!"

Amu patted her head as a few tears welled up in her own eyes. "We'll figure something out, Rima," she tried to assure her friend.

Rima took a shaky breath and tried to stop crying. "Th-thank you, Amu," she whispered.

* * *

Rima bit her lip as she waited for Nagihiko to arrive. She looked up when she felt a hand placed on her shoulder. It belonged to Amu. She smiled. "Don't worry, Rima. I'll be in the living room the entire time."

Rima gave a weak smile in return. Ten minutes ago, once Rima had stopped crying, she had called her boyfriend to come as soon as basketball practice was over. Now, all they had to do was wait.

After a long, two-minute wait in silence, there was a nervous knock at the door. Rima looked up at Amu, her eyes filled with dread. Amu smiled weakly but encouragingly back at her and helped her stand. And with a deep breath, the expectant teenager walked to the door.


	8. Blame

**Blame**

"What on Earth do you think is wrong with Rima?" Temari asked.

Rhythm whistled. "Who knows?" he said, his voice touched with worry. "I just hope she's okay."

Nagihiko nodded. Nagihiko Fujisaki had frantically rushed to his girlfriend of three years' apartment after he received an unsettling phone call. Now, his mind wandered as he waited for her to answer the door.

_"Nagi?" Rima's timid and small voice asked through the phone._

_"Rima-chan!" Nagihiko exclaimed with a smile as he flung a small towel around his shoulders, his hand paused on the locker room door. "How are you feeling? Are you getting enough rest?"_

_There was a moment of silence on the other end. After an indistinguishable murmuring, Rima replied, "I-I need you to come over. As soon as you can."_

_This answer surprised Nagihiko. "Is something wrong?"_

_Rima took a deep breath. "I-I just need to talk to you. Please, come quickly?"_

_Nagihiko dropped his basketball bag, suddenly extremely worried. "I'll be there in ten minutes."_

_"Thank you," Rima breathed before hanging up the phone._

_The purple-haired teenager stared oddly at the phone as he slipped it in his pocket and broke into a run toward his girlfriend's house. What could be wrong?_

Finally, the door cracked open, revealing the blonde head of his 5'4" girlfriend. "Rima-chan!" he exclaimed with relief as she looked up at him with a weak smile. He bent down to give her a hug, even though he knew she was sick; he was just relieved to see she wasn't too sick. "What did you need to talk to me about?" he asked when he pulled away.

Rima took his hand and lead him into the apartment without answering. "Amu," she said, stopping them in the living room. Nagihiko looked over, confused, to see his pink-haired best friend sitting on the couch. "We'll be in my room," Rima continued.

Amu nodded and gave her a small smile before the tiny teenager continued to pull Nagihiko down the hall. "Rima-chan?" he asked when they stopped in her room, as she said to Amu they would. "What's wrong?"

Rima turned to face him, her back to the door, on the opposite side of the room. She took a deep breath. "There-there's something I have to tell you…about this morning…because…because it involves you, too."

Nagihiko didn't understand. He knitted his purple eyebrows together. "What do you mean?" he asked.

Rima sighed. Nagihiko could see she was shaking a bit, which worried him. "Well, I-I have... a _mizuko_ in me."

It took all his strength not to fall to the floor unconscious. "You-you mean to tell me-?"

"Yes, Nagi," she breathed, her cheeks a flushed red. "I'm pregnant."

That did it.

* * *

"He what?" Amu exclaimed when Rima appeared in the living room once again; this time, alone.

"He fainted!" Rima repeated, her golden-brown eyes wide and worried. "I told him and he just– fainted!"

Amu clapped a hand over her eyes in exasperation. "Well," she said slowly. "At least he didn't run away, right?"

Rima sighed. Her best friend obviously wasn't grasping the gravity of the situation. "What do we do?" she asked, her voice beginning to quiver a bit.

Amu looked up and sighed, flopping down on the couch. Rima followed. "I guess we'll just have to wait for him to wake up," Amu said, putting a comforting arm around the mother to-be.

And wait, they did. They had decided to move to Rima's room, where Ran and Miki comforted a worried Kusukusu while Suu tended to the unconscious expectant father, i.e. Nagihiko. After a while, the tall seventeen-year-old began to stir.

"Oh, how is your head, Nagihiko-san?" Suu asked as the purple-haired boy groaned and began to sit up.

Rima and Amu jumped up off the blonde's bed as he opened his eyes. "Eh, a bit of a headache." He looked up to see a timid Rima standing over him. Rima tensed as he knit his purple eyebrows together. "That-wasn't a dream, was it…Rima-chan?"

The golden-brown-eyed girl bit her lip and shook her head.

Nagihiko sighed and turned to Amu. "Could you give us a moment, Amu-chan?" he asked the pink-haired girl.

Amu turned to Rima, bit her lip and gave the blonde's shoulders a quick squeeze before reluctantly exiting the room. When Nagihiko gave a firm but kind look to the Charas in the room, they also exited. When everyone had gone, Nagihiko stood, wincing a little as he brought one of his hands up to hold the back of his head.

Rima held her breath as the father of her child's expression turn colder as he turned his amber-brown eyes on her. "How?"

The blonde cringed. "Well, I guess we didn't time things right and-"

"Not that!" Nagihiko's voice was hinted with anger. "What the hell, Rima?" he exclaimed, banging a fist on her desk.

Rima flinched and attempted not to run away. "I-I'm sorry-"

"We only... _you know_...once! How could this happen?" he asked, turning his eyes once again on the petite teenager.

"Well," Rima began slowly. "I guess once is enough..."

"You're the one who wanted it, Rima!" the purple-haired seventeen-year-old exclaimed. "You were just trying to be rebellious, weren't you? Damn it– we could have prevented this!"

Rima cringed again as her amber eyes began to prick at his harsh words. "I-I didn't just do it to rebel," she squeaked, feeling like she was shrinking. "I just wanted to show you... I don't know... But a couple months ago I realized I was... late, so..."

"Wait," Nagihiko said, realizing something. "A _couple months _ago?" he asked slowly, his expression becoming a bit panicked. "How long have you known? How-how far along are you?"

Rima gulped. "Well, I didn't want to think about it at first so I-" she said, almost in a whisper.

"How-long?"

The expectant mother took a deep breath. "I've known for about two weeks. I don't know how far along I am, but it must be about…a month or two?" she squeaked.

Nagihiko's brown eyes grew wide. "This can't be happening…" he whispered to himself. "How could you do this to us, Rima?"

Rima was prepared to cower, when something hit her. She turned her expression from that which showed fear and sadness, to one that was angry. "So, this is all _my _fault?" she said, her voice growing louder. "If you wanted to prevent this so bad, then you could have said no! You could have used protection of your own, _Fujisaki!"_ she sneered his last name.

Now, it was _his _turn to cringe. It was never good when Rima called him "Fujisaki." He took a deep breath after a moment of silence. "I guess you're right, Rima-chan," he confessed quietly. "It's not all your fault. I'm-I'm sorry I yelled at you."

Rima's face relaxed a bit when he called her by his nickname again. "I-I just– thank you," she breathed. The anger now drained from her little body, all that was left was fear and sadness, and she couldn't quite handle it. The blonde fell to the floor of her room in tears.

* * *

_**(A/N) Japan has the lowest teenage pregnancy rate of the industrialized world, so this is a pretty unlikely scenario. I live in America, which has the **_**highest****_ teen pregnancy rate in the modern world, so this is a bit more common occurrence for me. I find it's a good source of drama, and, upon learning children born out of wedlock in Japan are actually legally given less than those born into a family unit, I thought this increased the dramatic element. Mizuko means "water child" or "water baby" and is the Japanese name for unborn fetuses._**


	9. Happy Tears

**Happy Tears**

Nagihiko's eyes widened in shock as he watched Rima sob. When the shock had subsided, he quickly ran to pregnant teen, embracing her as she cried. "Oh, Rima-chan," he told her when she wrapped her tiny arms around him. "It's going to be ok."

The amber-brown eyed seventeen-year-old stroked his girlfriend's hair as another sob shook her body. "N-no, it w-won't! H-how will we keep it a secret f-from my p-parents? They'll k-kick me out of the h-house!" she cried as tears streamed down her pale face. "And how will the baby thrive? He won't have the same rights as other children! Wh-what are we going to d-do?"

Nagihiko held the quivering blonde tighter. "Don't worry; the Fujisaki family would take you in," he reassured her. "I won't let anything happen to you _or _our baby," he whispered causing Rima to sobbed harder. Surprised and worried he had offended her, he quickly asked, "What is it? Did I say something wrong? Oh, please don't cry, Rima-chan!" he pleaded as she lifted her head.

Nagihiko was surprised to see that, when Rima's head was titled so he could see her face, she was smiling. "Y-you called it…_our _baby," she whispered as tears of happiness slid down her cheeks. "Y-you want to k-keep it, then?"

Nagihiko thought for a moment. "Well, yes. I want to keep him," he decided, placing a large hand on the amber-eyed girl's head. "Yes. I want to look at our baby every day and see your face in his. Or, your eyes; your smile; everything about you will be a part of him. And I want to be there for every minute of his life."

Rima's smile widened as the tears began to subside a bit. "S-so, you think it'll be a boy?" she asked.

Nagihiko laughed. "I don't care either way. We'll love him even if he is a she."

Rima giggled and wiped her eyes. "Well, it won't matter for the first ten or twelve years; they'll be raised as a girl either way."

The purple-haired boy laughed again. "You have a point there, Rima-chan."

Amu waited anxiously on the tan couch of her best friend's living room couch. For a minute or two, all she could hear was the muffled yelling of Nagihiko. Now, though, there was only silence, and all she could do was wait.

Finally, she heard to door to Rima's bedroom creak open. Amu jumped to her feet when the blonde entered the room, pulling her boyfriend. There was a faint smile on both of their lips and tear streaks down the amber-eyed girl's face. Amu's golden eyes flicked between the two nervously before Rima broke the silence.

"We're keeping the _mizuko,_" she said, squeezing Nagihiko's hand, who smiled.

Amu's eyes widened happily as she smiled. "Really? That's great!" she said, running to hug the two. "I'm so happy for you guys!"

The pink-haired teen felt Rima's arm tenderly reach up around hers as Nagihiko's did. Amu's smile softened when she felt a tear drop onto her neck. Rima was crying again.

This time, though, Amu knew they were tears of joy.


	10. Acting Your Age

**Acting Your Age**

"What a week,"Amu sighed as she flopped onto her bed when she came home from Rima's house Tuesday night.

"What do you mean, Amu-chan?" Ran asked as she floated in front of the teenager's nose.

"Well," Amu began, sitting up and bringing a finger to her chin thoughtfully. "Monday: I get the crap scared out of me by my friends, but, other than that, Monday was pretty normal. But Tuesday! We run into Kairi for the first time in over _five _years and Rima's pregnant!" She groaned and fell back against her pillows again.

"Well," Miki said as she climbed into her egg for the night. "We can only hope Wednesday brings better news." She yawned and began to pull the top half of her checkered blue egg on top of her.

Amu sighed. "I guess so. Goodnight Ran, Miki, Suu, Dia." She pulled her pink hair back into a ponytail that swept across her mid-back and yanked the covers up to her chin.

"Goodnight, Amu-chan," the Charas said in a somewhat-unison as they all yawned and tucked into their eggs.

The seventeen-year-old character bearer flicked off the lights. But, she didn't fall asleep for a long time. Amu Hinamori couldn't explain why, but she felt a sinking feeling of dread in the pit of her stomach.

And, somehow, she knew Miki would be wrong about Wednesday.

* * *

Amu bit her lip as she walked hand-in-hand with Tadase to school the next morning. "Amu-chan?" the blonde prince asked with a smile. "Is something bothering you?"

Amu took a deep breath. "I can't say. Rima and Nagihiko will tell you at school, okay?"

Tadase smiled and nodded.

Soon enough, they were at school. Rima dragged Tadase and Amu along with Yaya and Kukai to the back of the school, where Nagihiko waited.

"Oy, Rima-chan," Yaya complained. "What's so urgent?"

Rima took a deep breath and squeezed Nagihiko's hand. "Y-you tell them," she murmured to Nagi, her voice quivering a bit.

Nagi nodded and squeezed the girl's hand. "R-Rima-chan is...expecting a baby...my baby," he finally said.

Yaya's eyes got wide. "Rima-chan and Nagi are having a baby?" she asked.

Everyone was silent for a moment while they took in the information the couple had just announced

"I'm so happy for you guys!" she exclaimed.

Rima and Nagihiko smiled in shock when the sixteen-year-old when she leapt on them, her ginger-brown hair flying into their faces as all three fell to the ground.

Ever since middle school, the chocolate-brown eyed girl had given up her large, red ribbons and high pigtails and switched to smaller bows and longer pigtails at the bottom of her head. In contrary to her life-long goal, she was slowly growing into an adult.

Tadase smiled and turned to Amu. "This is what you were worried about, Amu-chan?"

Amu smiled and blushed as she nodded. "Rima told me yesterday."

Yaya giggled. "I sure hope it's a girl!" she said as she stood. "Tsubasa is too much trouble, now that he's older." She pouted.

Everyone laughed…except Kukai. Amu turned to him, still smiling. "What is it, Kukai?"

The eighteen-year-old soccer star had a slight scowl on his tan face. "I don't see how you can laugh so easily about something like this," he replied, his voice stern; no hint of joking.

Amu's smile vanished, along with the others'. "Wh-what do you mean?" she asked.

Kukai took in a deep breath and pushed himself off the wall he was slumped upon. "Rima and Nagihiko are only _seventeen. _They're too young to have a baby."

Amu watched Rima become tense in Nagihiko's arms. "W-what are you saying?" the blonde asked. "We kn-know that."

Kukai turned to her, crossing his arms. "I'm saying– aw, hell, I don't know for sure what I'm saying. All I know is you two had better forget about any plans you had for your futures and rewrite them to fit the needs of the baby." He looked up at Nagihiko. "That means _you _won't be able to dance; you'll be taking care of Rima and the baby. And _you_," he turned to the expectant teen, "can forget about comedy until he or she is, at least, ten. I hope you know what you've gotten into."

Amu looked back and forth between her three friends, worried.

As Rima's eyes began to shine with added moisture, Kukai turned on his heel and walked off the campus, his hands in his pockets, leaving his friends in a shocked silence. A silence, not just from the impact of what Kukai had just said, but from a realization.

The five friends had realized that he was right.

* * *

_**(A/N) I got the idea for this chapter name from reviewer Black Neko Hime. Thanks for reading and reviewing, I hope you like what I do in the chapters to come!**_


	11. Thoughts and Memories

**Thoughts and Memories**

_Damn it… _Kukai thought as he walked the streets away from his high school, which was about start. He didn't care about that now though. Nagihiko had gotten Rima pregnant. And they didn't seem to get it! Kukai cursed into the empty air and kicked an empty can on the side of the road. And if it could happen to _them, _it could happen to-

No. Kukai refused to think about her. It was too much.

He'd find that a bit hard later.

"Kukai, you're gonna miss school," Daichi expressed his concern for his bearer as he floated above his shoulder.

The boy shrugged and shoved his hands into his pockets. "I don't care."

Daichi frowned. "Don't you think you were a bit hard on Rima and Nagihiko?"

"Yeah, well, they needed someone to tell them the truth," he snapped. "They need to stop thinking of this as a joke; it's serious."

"But you didn't even tell them your reasoning," the Chara argued. "They're your friends, don't you think they deserve to know about–"

"If I'm ashamed of my own flesh-and-blood," Kukai interrupted, "then..."

"They'll think you're ashamed of them?"

The brunette slowed his pace, looking at his sneakers as his scowl melted into a confused expression. "Yeah," he muttered. "But... maybe I am..." He sighed and scratched the back of his head. "What am I supposed to do, Daichi?" he asked the Guardian Character.

The little green-haired person's eyes were sad. "I think you'll have to decide that."

"Great."

* * *

"Former Jack, Kukai Souma, left the school after hearing about this?" Kairi asked at lunch break.

The rest of the former Guardians had solemn looks on their faces as they nodded. Amu Hinamori was the first to speak up. "He-he just took off before school started."

"And," Tadase Hotori added. "As far as we know, he hasn't returned since then."

Kairi _hmm_ed quietly and pushed his glasses up his nose. "He has Daichi with him, no doubt. Musashi," he turned to his Chara. "Can you sense him nearby?"

Musashi shook his head. "Wherever he is, he is not close enough to sense his presence. Perhaps we should just wait until tomorrow morning?" he offered.

The Chara's attempts to console the teenagers was lost; their faces remained sad. "I guess that's all we can do," Amu sighed. "You don't sense anything either, Dia?" she asked her yellow-clad Chara that had floated down on the grass beside them. The others were sitting a few feet away.

Dia shook her head sadly. "No, Amu-chan. Like Musashi said, Kukai and Daichi aren't close enough."

The former Guardians gave a collective sigh.

Kairi looked at each of them. Amu seemed to be thinking hard. Tadase was picking at his lunch, uninterested. Rima was leaning against Nagihiko, his arms wrapped around her, with worried looks on both of their faces.

Kairi sighed, himself, and put a hand on Amu's shoulder. The pink-haired girl looked up, a solemn expression still clouding her face. Kairi gave her a weak smile. "Everything will be alright," he assured her. "Souma-kun will most definitely return and Mashiro-san and Fujisaki-kun will figure something out."

a light shade of pink tinted the skin below her golden eyes. She nodded her thanks to the boy, a smile tugging at her lips.

The bright-eyed boy smiled a bit more.

* * *

_They must be at lunch by now, _Kukai thought. About an hour ago, he'd walked to the park and found a bench. He'd sat down to think, but had ended up falling asleep, his arms spread out on the back of the wooden seat, his head drooped behind him. Judging by the sun, almost directly overhead, it was about time for the Seiyo High lunch break.

Kukai groaned and lifted his head; his eyes still closed, and rubbed his sore neck. "Aw, man…" he muttered. He suddenly had the feeling someone was watching him, and slowly opened one eye.

They both snapped open when he saw the violet eyes that were looking over him quizzically. "Utau?"

"Kukai…?" Utau Hoshina asked.

The green-eyed boy stood as he messaged his neck. "What are you doing here?" he asked. "I thought you were on your tour in America."

The blonde gave him a teasing smile as her devil Chara, Il popped up. "It ended a few weeks ago," she said with a snicker.

"Utau-chan just got back on Monday," El, Utau's angel Chara added.

Utau tilted her head, her messy blonde pigtails (Utau will never change) swinging to the side. "Shouldn't you be in school?"

Kukai sighed. "I decided to skip today. I have…stuff to think about."

The singer snorted softly. "Well then, I'll leave you to your-"

"Would you like to get lunch?" the teen asked suddenly, jumping to his feet. "My treat?"

Utau seemed taken aback at this offer. She quickly recomposed herself and replied, "Fine; as long as you're buying."

Kukai laughed. "That's usually what 'my treat' means, Utau," he said as they began walking to the nearest ramen shop.

Utau blushed, but kept her stern and stuck-up look. "Tch, I know that!" she burst out. "But you probably won't be able to eat more than me this time," she said with a sideways glance and a smirk at Kukai.

"Oh?" the eighteen-year-old said with a smile. "And what makes you say that?"

Utau smiled and closed her eyes. "Do you know how hard it is to find a good bowl of ramen in America?" she asked with a smirk. "Well," she continued without waiting for an answer, "it's impossible. And it's been _two years_ since I've been in Tokyo."

Kukai scoffed. "Well then," he said as he opened the door for the blonde at the ramen shop. "I guess we'll just have to see."


	12. Heating Up

**Heating Up**

"So," Kukai mused as he slurped the first noodles of his third bowl of ramen. "Did you see your brother while you were in America?"

A nervous look crossed Utau's face, but it was so quick Kukai wasn't completely sure he saw it. "He's doing well," she said after a moment.

Kukai raised a red-brown eyebrow. "You say that like you're hiding something," he said bluntly, wiping his mouth on the back of his black sleeve and slurping more noodles.

The blonde paused momentarily then continued slurping her own ramen. She took quite a while chewing before she opened her mouth again. "Why would I hide anything?" she said with indifference.

Kukai set his chopsticks down and leaned back in his chair.

"Done already, wimp?" Utau asked, changing the subject with a smirk.

"No," Kukai said slowly, a serious look on his face. "But, you _are_ hiding something, aren't you?"

Utau narrowed her eyes and stared into the boy's green eyes. After a brief staring contest, she gave up with a sigh. "Alright; yes. I suppose I am hiding something."

Kukai perked up in his chair. He hadn't expected to win so easily, but he supposed she had something she wanted to get off her chest. "Tell me."

* * *

Amu sighed as she walked into her bedroom after school. Kukai hadn't returned at all that day, and they hadn't heard anything from him. Kairi's words had been incorrect, but they had soothed her somewhat. She smiled. The golden-eyed teenager had forgotten how sweet the samurai boy was. She blushed and flopped onto her bed, burying her face in her pillows with a giggle.

Wait.

Amu's head snapped up. She shouldn't be thinking like this of _Kairi,_ she should be giggling and blushing over her _boyfriend,_ Tadase! She groaned. It was just like the sixth grade again, back when she couldn't decide who she loved. She flipped onto her back and covered her eyes with her forearm. What was wrong with–?

"Onee-chan!" Ami sang as she burst through her sister's bedroom door and danced to Amu's bedside.

Amu groaned. "Ami, what now?"

"Mail!" Alima announced. "You have a letter!"

The pink-haired teen sighed and held out her hand, which was almost immediately occupied by a dirty white envelope. She sat up and retrieved her hand, shoo-ing her sister away with the other.

Ami didn't seem to notice but bounded out of the room anyway, Alima singing some made-up-on-the-spot song as they closed the door.

The seventeen-year-old sighed with a small smile and turned the letter over in her hand. She raised an eyebrow when she saw the return address.

"What is it, Amu-chan?" Miki asked as she and the other Charas floated over to their bearer.

"Well," Amu said slowly, eying the messy print on the envelope. "The return address. It's from America…"

The Charas _hmm_ed as Amu turned the small paper square over and slid her finger beneath the seal.

* * *

Rima sighed. She had spent the last three hours after school talking with her boyfriend about all her concerns. "He'll be teased so much, since we're not married..." she repeated the thought that had occupied her mind since she discovered she was pregnant.

"I'll take care of it, Rima-chan," Nagi promised, squeezing his girlfriend's hand gently. "I'll take care of everything. Don't worry so much."

Although she wasn't completely convinced by his words, Rima turned her face up toward the young man, smiling as she pushed the thoughts away. "What do you think we should name it?" she asked.

Nagihiko smiled and wiped a tear from the blonde's cheek, resettling his hand on hers, which laid on the couch between the two. "Oh, I don't know, Rima-chan. What do you think?"

The expectant mother pondered this for a moment. "Sora," she decided. "For a boy?"

Nagihiko smiled wider as he closed his eyes and leaned his head against the back of Rima's apartment couch. "Sora is perfect."

Rima turned to look at him again. "You pick for a girl," she urged.

Now it was Nagihiko's turn to be silent while he thought. "Suki?" he offered. "I've always liked it."

He heard Rima's quiet laugh, a sound that had begun to disappear the past couple of weeks. "I like it too," she confessed.

Nagihiko smiled. "Well, now that that's taken care of," he began, dreading the words that were about to spill out of his mouth. "How are we going to tell your parents?"

The question hung in the air anxiously like a cloud in the orange sky. He heard Rima's breath catch in her chest as she tensed. "I don't know. How long do you think we can hide it?" she whispered, worry clearly present in her little voice.

"Hide what?"

* * *

_**(A/N) Sorry, I couldn't think of a better name for this chapter ^^' But things are definitely "Heating Up," don't you think? ;) Reviews, as always, are much appreciated.**_


	13. Discoveries

**Discoveries**

Rima jumped off the couch at the voice. "M-Mama?"

Kusukusu and Nagihiko's Charas floated up from the coffee table. "Rima?" the clown Chara crooned. "What're you gonna tell her?"

Unsure of how to answer, the girl remained silent.

The blonde's mother was standing in the doorway, on hand still on the brass handle of the front door. "Hide what?" she repeated. When she received only a nervous stare and empty air from her daughter, she tried asking with different words, "Rima, what are you hiding from me?" She strode into the apartment, set her purse on the counter, and stuck her hands on her waist.

Rima swallowed and grabbed for Nagihiko, who stood as her fingers brushed his arm. He squeezed her hand encouragingly and placed his hands on her shoulders. "M-Mama…" Rima shuddered.

* * *

Amu shook as she unfolded the white letter. She read it silently once, then aloud so her Charas could hear.

"'_Amu,'"_ she began in a shaky voice. _"'It's been almost five years since I came to America to find my old man.'"_ Amu took a deep breath. _"'For a while I almost gave up…but when Utau came for her American tour, our father recognized her and came to one of the concerts. I guess what I'm saying is–'" _Amu's breath caught in her throat, and she had to close her eyes and concentrate before she could finish the letter. _"'–what I'm saying is, I met up with him. My dad, I mean, and I'm coming home. By the time you get this letter, I should be landing. Utau's already back. My original plan was to go with her, but our father thought it better if we stay and…catch up. I still can't believe I found him…_

"'_I'll see you soon. Ikuto."_

* * *

"Ikuto Tsukiyomi's coming back?" Kukai asked, almost falling out of his chair.

Utau nodded, a grave expression on her pale face. "Today, I think," she said.

"And, he's bringing Utau-chan and Ikuto-san's father," El piped up.

Kukai shook his head and ran a hand through his reddish-brown hair. "Aruto Tsukiyomi. I can't believe your step-father-"

"_Ex_-step-father," Utau corrected with a sour look.

Kukai nodded. "Right, sorry. I can't believe your _ex_-step-father would hide the fact that your own dad was alive. How long has it been?" he asked. "Ten years?"

Utau shook her head and closed her eyes. "I really don't know. I was so young when he left, I only recognized him because– well, honestly," she confessed with a laugh, "I confused him with Ikuto when I first saw him." The singer leaned back her chair and smiled, opening her eyes to look at the ceiling. "You wouldn't believe how much they look alike," she told her companion. "Same eyes; same hair, hell, they're almost the exact same height." She breathed a laugh and closed her eyes again. "Did you know Ikuto's almost twenty-two?" she asked, opening sparkling violet eyes to look at Kukai.

The sports star's eyebrows lifted ever so slightly. "Really? Wow…" He whistled and smiled; resting his forearms on the table, he leaned in. "So..."

Intrigued by the boy's sudden playful tone, Utau leaned forward as well, a smirk on her face.

"Do you still have that 'undying love' for him?"

_Smack!_

"K-Kukai!" Daichi exclaimed.

Customers in the ramen shop's heads snapped over at the sound of shattering dishes and a falling chair to see a eighteen-year-old boy hit the floor, rubbing a swelling and red cheek. His blonde companion was rubbing her hands together as if dusting them off and sitting, legs crossed, in her own chair. She was the only undisturbed thing at the table in the corner.

She pulled down her white and pink-decorated tank top and brushed off her dark gray skirt. Uncrossing her legs and, placing both of her black Mary-Janes on the ground, she stood, offering a hand to the boy on the ground. Her long white socks were slightly messed with sauce but otherwise clean. The boy took her hand hesitantly and she helped him stand. He dusted off his own uniform and walked with the girl to the counter to pay.

The customers turned back to their own noodles.

"What the hell was that for?" Kukai asked in a loud whisper.

Utau didn't reply, she just waited for the cashier to take the money she had placed on the counter, thanked him for the meal, and walked out of the shop.

Kukai followed and asked again, "What the hell, Utau?" He rubbed his jaw, which was hot and swelling.

Il snickered and reenacted Utau smacking Kukai. Instead of just hitting the air, though, she punched El, who cried and flew away. The devil chara chased her, managing a couple punches as they flew in circles.

Utau stopped suddenly and turned to him, an act that received a cringe. "Sorry," she mumbled, then picked up her voice. "To answer your first question; no. I'm not in love with my brother any longer. For you're second question, I hit you because I do not appreciate being mocked for when I _did _love him... that way. That is why I slapped you," she finished simply.

"Slap?" Kukai repeated, eyebrows raising. "That was– that was–!" He stopped to find a word. "That was not just a 'slap,' Utau. That was a– I don't even know how to describe it," he said, giving up. He smirked. "You know," he informed her as they began walking again. "Had it been anyone but me, you might've knocked 'em out with that right hook of yours."

Utau scoffed, a smirk playing across her lips. "If I had wanted to knock you out, I could have," she told him.

Kukai held up his hands in a mock surrender. "All right, if you say so…"

She turned her violet eyes on the redhead. "You don't believe me?" she asked, eyes sparkling. She slid her hand up her arm, rolling up an imaginary sleeve. "I _could _show you if you want."

Kukai laughed shook his hands. "No, no," he said. Utau turned her eyes forward with a smile, until he added, "Wouldn't want you to hurt yourself."

Utau stopped a few feet in front of Kukai and turned her face halfway to him. Her eyes were closed, a smirk still on her lips. "You can't provoke me, Kukai," she told him and began to walk away.

"Alright," the soccer star said. "Whatever you say... Miss Incest," he mumbled.

Biggest mistake of his life.

Utau stopped and began to glow with the fire of utter hatred. "What. Did. You. Say?"

"Big mistake," Il said, biting her nails as black devil wings popped onto her Chara bearer, a sign the two had Chara changed together.

"Utau-chan!" El begged.

Before Kukai even knew what was happening, everything went black.

* * *

_**(A/N) Whoops. Turns out Utau **_**can****_ be provoked. Well, stay tuned to find out if Kukai lived or not! Reviews always welcome!_**


	14. Complications

**Complications**

Kukai woke up with a throbbing headache. His head pounded when he propped himself up on one elbow and looked over his surroundings.

First of all, he was on a bed he'd never seen before in his life, in some fancy hotel room. There was a TV in an entertainment center on the wall in front of him, a clean white door next to it, probably leading into a living room-type area. When he sat up further he saw a mini-fridge on the wall next to him, by a bedside table that held a golden-stemmed lamp that gave light to the room and the tan-beige walls. Kukai swung his legs over the maroon and gold-decorated sheets (sending a fresh wave of pain through his body) and found the floor was covered with a soft carpet. He rubbed his head and began to wonder how the hell he got there when a he heard a voice behind him.

"Finally up?"

Kukai whipped around to see the cause of his pain sitting in a chair in the corner of the room. She lounged with her legs crossed on a comfortable-looking cushy chair decorated with the same fabric as the sheets. She had changed since the last time he had seen her, now wearing a long-sleeved, form-fitting black shirt with a green vine winding its way up the side, blooming into a blood-red rose in the middle of her chest. On her bottom half, she wore faded blue jeans, torn up and white at the knees, probably the style of the brand.

The disoriented teenage boy flipped when he saw her, flailing his arms and falling from the bed. A shockwave of pain erupted from his backside when he landed on the seemingly-soft carpet. Not a moment later, Utau was above him, attempting to hide a smile with her left hand while she offered the right to Kukai. "You seem to like falling," the blonde noted as she pulled him up.

Kukai rubbed his head and his back as he looked at the singer. "What happened," he asked stupidly.

Utau turned on her bare heel and walked to the edge of the bed, where she sat. "I knocked you out. Sorry."

As if to clarify, Il popped up, saying, "Since Utau doesn't use our Chara Change to collect heart's eggs when she sings anymore, she becomes a little more aggressive!" She snickered.

"And Utau-chan uses _my _Chara Change to become the sweet, kind girl she really is deep do-!" El began to say.

"El!" Utau exclaimed, fuming.

With that, the devil and angel Charas popped into their eggs and disappeared.

Kukai gave the blonde a funny look and sat down next to her. "What time is it anyway?" he asked, filing Utau's outburst at the mention of her and El's Chara Change away for later.

Utau glanced at the clock on the wall. "Almost six."

Kukai nodded. "Alright so I-" He stopped suddenly and turned slowly toward the twenty-year-old.

Utau looked back at him. "What?" she asked.

"You knocked me out for almost FIVE HOURS?" he burst out, hopping to his feet. "My parents are going to kill me for being out this late!"

Utau's blonde eyebrows shot up in surprise of his outburst. "Don't worry about it," she said calmly, whipping a phone from her back pocket. She started dialing a number. "I'll have my driver take you home."

That didn't calm Kukai down much. "I still have to figure out what to tell them," he said, sitting back down on the bed.

Utau shrugged. "Not my problem."

Kukai smirked and gave the blonde a shove. Surprised a bit by this, she punched him in the arm. "Ow!" he exclaimed, laughing.

Despite herself, Utau giggled a bit as well.

* * *

Being over Kukai didn't help Amu's love life as much as she hoped it would.

Kairi.

Ikuto.

Now, they were both back in her life, and the seventeen-year-old couldn't be more confused.

Tadase was cute and princely and so sweet, but…

Amu's mind couldn't help but wander to Kairi. Kind, responsible, the first to confess his love for her. And, he had grown so handsome since the last time they'd met! Amu groaned and flopped back on her bed.

And then there was…Ikuto. A troublemaker and a pain in the neck, but…he had always been there when Amu really needed him. He just showed up and saved her from all sorts of things. He played the violin so well…so beautifully, and never gave up on his father. He was loyal, sweet, and playful. He was…everything.

"No!" Amu exclaimed. _I can't be thinking of them like this! _she thought. _I love _Tadase, _not Kairi, not Kukai, not Ikuto!_

As angry tears began to swell in her eyes, there was a knock on her door.

* * *

"How did this happen?" Rima's mother screamed.

Rima cringed into Nagihiko, who wrapped his arms around her. "M-Mama…" she whispered, barely audible.

Fire burned within the woman's dark eyes, flicking in detest toward the cause of her problems– the purple-haired teenage boy beside her daughter. "I hope you intend to take responsibility for this, young man," she warned.

Nagi swallowed hard, feeling the weight of his actions hit him finally. "Yes, ma'am," he said quietly. "We never meant... we didn't think..."

"That's right, you _didn't_ think. That's how these things happen."

Ashamed, Nagi looked down at Rima's blonde head. He really _hadn't_ thought what the consequences of their night together... but, now he had to. He knew the road ahead would be difficult, especially for Rima and the baby. She probably wouldn't be able to finish school. The child would be shunned by her family and, most likely, everyone they knew. It was a miracle that Nagi's traditional mother had been supportive enough to offer Rima a place to stay in their home…

Reminded of this, Nagi looked up at his girlfriend's mother once again. "I take full responsibility for this, Mashiro-sama," he said with a slight bow to the older woman. "I apologize for inconveniencing you and your family. My family has offered to take Rima-chan and the child in. They will be well taken care of," he added.

Ms. Mashiro's eyes narrowed, contemplating the offer the young man had just made. He seemed responsible enough, admitting fault for his actions without hesitation… Perhaps sending her daughter to live with him was a good idea. Perhaps the situation could be… repaired. "Alright," she conceded, her voice clipped and her eyes still burning. "But on one condition."

Excited at the thought of leaving the prison she had called a home the past few years, Rima smiled and nodded, encouraging her boyfriend to accept her mother's challenge. "Anything, Mama."

"Yes, Mashiro-san, I will adhere to your requests," Nagi agreed, remaining polite and resigned.

"You two will marry before the child is born."

* * *

_**Not much changed in the first half, but a big difference in the second, huh? I thought the first scenario was unrealistic from the start, but I didn't have any better ideas... this is actually the second time I've rewritten this stupid chapter! Eventually, I figured just Nagi proposing was too… how should I put it… staged. A forced marriage (even if they both want it) is much more likely to happen in cases like these, I think. **_

_**Read and Review, please!**_


	15. Changes

**Changes**

Amu wiped beneath her eyes and called, "Come in."

Her door creaked open, showing just a lock of stray blue hair. "Amu?" a deep voice asked.

The pink-haired teen sat straight up on her bed. "I-Ikuto?" she asked timidly.

The door opened the rest of the way, revealing the twenty-three year-old.

Amu's breath caught in her throat. He was just as she remembered him: dark blue hair, shining, sapphire eyes, tall, wearing the silver cross around his neck. He was an inch or two taller, his hair a bit longer, falling into his eyes, but he was still so handsome. "I…Ikuto…" she murmured, barely audible.

…

"Ikuto!" she exclaimed, jumping from her bed to hug the man. He reached his long arms around her and returned the embrace. He was warm, and smelled just like she remembered him. It was a scent she didn't think was possible to describe.

They stayed there for a minute or two before Ikuto kissed the top of her head gently. "I missed you," he told her.

Tears spilled from her golden eyes involuntarily. "I-I missed you, too."

Ikuto pulled away, and Amu saw he was smiling. He wiped a tear off her cheek and ruffled her pink hair. "How have you been?"

Amu swallowed and smiled. "Good, I guess. Y-you?" she stuttered.

Ikuto smirked. "I want you to meet my old man, Aruto Tsukiyomi."

Amu nodded and followed her old friend downstairs.

* * *

Kairi paced back and forth in his room, constantly bumping into boxes that littered the floor. Having only been home for four days, he hadn't quite gotten used to the enclosed space. At his parents' home, his room was much bigger and less cluttered.

"Kairi," Musashi mused from his place atop one of the higher boxes. "What do you make of Amu Hinamori and Tadase Hotori's relationship?"

Twisting his upper lip into a grimace, Kairi pondered his Chara's comment for a moment. "I haven't thought in depth about that just yet," he muttered.

Musashi shook his head as there was a knock on Kairi's bedroom door.

"Come in," Kairi called. A moment later, Yukari opened the door, smiling. Kairi gave a small smile back. He hadn't seen his sister this happy for a long time, he realized. When the redhead began dating Yuu Nikaido again, her face was usually smiling, instead of the depressing scowl she had worn while working for Easter. Now, married with a child, she was almost _always_ smiling. It made Kairi happy to see her this way.

"Kairi," she said. "Yuu's about to head down to the storage shed. Where your bed's being dropped off?" she reminded him. Kairi nodded. "Do you want to go with him?"

Kairi pursed his lips. The cool, fresh air _would _be nice to clear out his head…and spend some quality time with his new brother-in-law… He nodded, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Sure."

Yukari smiled and clapped her hands together. "Oh, excellent!" she said, momentarily disappearing from the doorway. When she returned, her infant son was in her arms, smiling and waving his small fists. "You wouldn't mind taking Yuki-chan, would you?" she asked, smiling just like her son.

Actually, he did mind. Kairi didn't dislike his nephew, but babies did make him… uncomfortable. "Um, Nee-san…," he began, a frown tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"Wonderful!" Misreading her brother's message, Yukari dropped Yuki into the teenager's arms, whisking out of the room before he could make his argument.

* * *

The request of Rima's mother was not very surprising, but it had caught the teenager off-guard. Nagi, however, was never phased by anything. He had reacted perfectly, pleasing her mother and managing to shake Rima. He had simply nodded to Ms. Mashiro, turned toward Rima, gotten down on one knee, and proposed.

Right then.

Right there.

Showing only the smallest amount of pleasure at the scene before her, Ms. Mashiro had nodded and told Rima that she had better clean out her room if she was to be moving out.

Numbly, the teenager had nodded, shuffled out of the room, and packed her belongings into a suitcase that had sat in the top of her closet for three years. She wasn't exactly sure how it had all happened, but, somewhere along the way, Rima had sat next to Nagi– her _fiancee_ now– in her mother's car as they drove to the large house where she would stay. She had blindly followed Nagi into his home– _her_ home too, now–, not even bothering to say goodbye to her mother before she drove away, into the dusk. _When did it become dusk?_ Rima wondered absentmindedly.

"It's going to be okay, Rima-chan," Nagi assured her, the first words that had managed to reach her ears and not feel like they were being whispered to her through thick cotton in her ears since her mother's request only an hour or two before. He showed her to his room– _their_ room– and allowed her some time alone to unpack. He shut the door quietly behind him, as if the noise would shatter his fragile girlfriend.

But that was ridiculous. Rima had already been shattered.

She didn't unpack. Instead, the blonde sat down on the large, soft bed that she would be sleeping in from now on, running her small, shaking hand over the sheets that were now hers. Suddenly, all of the changes that had taken place in the span of the past few days– most of which that had occurred in only the past few _hours_– came crashing down on the poor, pregnant girl all at once, physically feeling as though they were crushing her. Rima suddenly found it hard to breathe, and the remaining pieces of her broke further, crushed into a fine powder by all the burdens she now bore.

Devastated and confused, the girl collapsed inwardly and outwardly, burying her face in the pillow as she cried, sobbing and shaking, wondering with grief how one momentary lapse in judgment could have cost her everything she knew.

* * *

_**Damn, that turned out differently than I had originally planned. Poor Rima… and this isn't even the half of it.**_

_**Read and Review, please.**_


	16. Moving Forward

**Moving Forward**

Kukai whistled as he looked around the interior of Utau's car. It was nothing the teenager was used to, especially since he walked pretty much everywhere. He wondered, idly, how long it would take him to get used to the long, sleek, black limo and black leather interior. Never mind the _fridge_ in the backseat. Seriously. A _fridge_. Inside a _car_. There was even a divider to separate the passenger from the driver. "One fancy car you got here," he commented, running his fingers over the smooth upholstery.

Utau, eyes closed, shrugged. "I suppose." She, unlike her companion, was used to it. It had been a long time since she had had to walk _anywhere_.

Kukai rolled his eyes and smiled. "Do you even know where my house is?"

The blonde slowly leaned forward and turned a switch on one of the armrests.

"Yes, Hoshina-sama?" a voice said through the speaker that must have been activated by Utau's touch.

"Won't you reassure our guest that he will be home soon?" she said into the armrest, where another speaker was implanted in the leather.

There was a slight chuckle from the driver, making Kukai blush a bit. "_Hai_. Souma-kun, we will arrive at your residence soon."

Utau smiled, thanked the driver and leaned back in her seat, now giving Kukai a taunting glare. "There's your answer."

Kukai threw her a dirty look. "I'm gonna get you for that one, Utau."

The singer shrugged but smiled. "Whatever you say, Kukai." She winked at him.

Kukai didn't know exactly why, but his cheeks flushed a deep pink when she did.

Utau was blushing too.

The two spent the rest of the ride in silence.

* * *

Amu smiled. "It's such an amazing story!" she said. "How you two found each other, I mean."

Aruto nodded, a small smile on his own lips. It was amazing how much Ikuto looked like his father. They had the same blue hair and sapphire eyes, pale skin and height. Aruto, however, kept one eye, his right, covered by his bangs. "Indeed. When I was forced into hiding by the Easter Corporation, I feared I'd never see either of my children again, let alone at the same time." He chuckled. "I suppose it would be too much to ask to see your mother?" he asked his son.

Ikuto smiled at his father. It warmed Amu's heart–– she had never seen Ikuto smile so much In one night. "'Course not," the man said, turning to Amu, who was sitting beside him on her living room couch. "May I…?"

The girl nodded vigorously, smiling. "Of course! It was nice meeting you though." She stood, along with the Tsukiyomi boys. "Go ahead and see her," she said, hugging Ikuto goodbye. "But…" She hesitated.

"Yes?" Ikuto pushed.

Amu bit her lip. "Will you– will you come by tomorrow morning?" she asked. "And– don't tell anyone else you're here?" She wasn't entirely sure why she added this last request, and somewhat regretted it as it left her lips. What if Ikuto thought she was being selfish? What if she was?

Her worries melted when Ikuto smiled and patted her head. "Sure. Goodnight, Amu."

Amu smiled and shrunk a bit beneath his large, warm hand. "Goodnight, Ikuto."

* * *

The tears stopped. Eventually.

Not to say that Rima was feeling any better. On the contrary, she felt quite horrible. Her face seemed to pulse with her heartbeat, her chest hurt from sobbing, and her eyes felt so dry she feared all the moisture in her body had been expelled in the hour– or had it been longer?– that she had spent crying in her new bedroom. She was surprised– though thankful– that neither Nagi nor his mother had come to check on her. It had been quite a while, but she did have many belongings with her. Perhaps they just thought she was getting used to the room, getting acquainted with the unfamiliar furniture and size of the dwelling.

But, the blonde realized a bit guiltily as she slowly pulled herself into a sitting position, she hadn't done any of those things. Instead, she had spent the gracious time given to her by her new family feeling sorry for herself and crying like a child. But, that was the last time, she vowed to herself, wiping away the signs of selfishness and regret from her fair cheeks with her sleeve. She couldn't allow another breakdown like that to happen again. She had other things to worry about.

Specifically, the tiny, barely alive _mizuko_ that was growing inside of her.

Rima couldn't afford to be selfish any more. Her days of carefree innocence were gone; taken away when she had made the mistake of sleeping with her boyfriend in high school. And no matter how hard she wished, how long she cried, she would never get them back. Feeling _sorry _for herself wouldn't help her or her child. She had to suck it up and be strong now; if not for herself, then for her unborn child that depended on her.

As these decisions settled deep within the blonde girl's heart, she finally stood and began to unpack. Faced with her future, every move she made was emotionless, her mind forcing her sore body to move, to work, to _do something_, even though every time she removed an article of clothing from her suitcase and placed it in the closet or the bureau, her heart splintered a bit more. But she couldn't– _wouldn't_– cry again. She couldn't afford it. She had to keep moving. She had to deal with it.

No matter how hard it would be, she would deal with it. She had to. For him. For her child.

* * *

_**I'm pretty sure you guys can tell that I write better in more intense situations. I'm not sure why, the words just come easier. Oh well, I hope I can learn to do the same for more lighthearted scenes :)**_

_**Reviews greatly appreciated! (right now there's 69... let's change that ^^') Thanks for reading!**_


	17. Reality

**Reality**

_Rima blushed. Her fingertips had just brushed against the pale hand thirteen-year-old sitting next to her. She knit her eyebrows together. _Why is it such a big deal_? she wondered. _It's just Nagihiko. _The blonde took a deep breath._

"_I'm sorry… about your parents," Nagi murmured._

_Rima was taken by surprise. "Wha-what do you mean?"_

_Nagi shifted awkwardly in his seat in the empty classroom. It was after school. Everyone had already rushed home. "Well, it must be hard… going through the divorce and everything… and I just wanted you to know that I'm sorry." He blushed._

_Rima looked away. "It's not like it's your fault or anything," she muttered, her eyes beginning to sting. She took a deep breath. "It's mine."_

_Nagi's head snapped to the blonde. "What do you mean? It's not your-!"_

"_It is, Nagihiko," Rima protested, screwing her eyes shut. "It's because…because I'm a burden. They didn't want me when they were together, and they don't want me now that they're separating." A tear slid down her fair cheeks and dropped onto her hand. "No one's ever wanted me," she whispered, almost too quiet for Nagi to hear._

_But he did. The golden-brown-eyed boy reached out a hand a placed it on her shoulder. "That's not true, Rima-chan," he said. "You have lots of friends here!" He tried to smile, but it wouldn't come out right._

_Rima wiped her face, laughing bitterly. "You're more naïve than I thought," she sneered. "You think those people are my friends? They just like me for my appearance. The only real friend I have is Amu and... now she's with Tadase. _Nobody _likes me for who I really am... nobody __could. I'm- too much trouble." She began to weep openly._

_Nagi looked genuinely surprised. "That's not true!" he exclaimed. "I'm your friend, Rima-chan. Honestly." He smiled at the girl._

_Rima wasn't sure she believed what she was hearing. How could this boy, this _perfect _boy, actually like her? She had so many faults... so many problems. "D-do you really mean that?" she asked skeptically. "Y-you like me…for me?"_

_Nagi smiled and placed his hand on her head. "Yes, Rima-chan," he promised. "You have a wonderful personality and a great sense of humor."_

_Rima blushed a deep red and smiled for the first time in a long time. For some reason, she believed him. She "Th-thank you," she whispered, turning away awkwardly._

_Nagi's blush deepened as he looked the other way. "I-I guess you should be getting home now," he said regretfully_

_Unsure of what she was saying, the girl muttered, "I don't have anywhere to go…" She peeked through her mounds of hair at the boy._

_His face as red as a tomato, Nagi smiled and replied, "Well, then, we seem to have a common problem."_

_Rima gave a small smile. "Who said it was a problem?" she asked, brushing her blonde hair away to look at Nagihiko through her subsiding tears._

_Nagi swallowed hard and smiled, unconsciously moving closer to the blonde. "You-you're really very pretty, you know that?" he whispered, not really knowing why._

_The blonde's eyelids fluttered as she whispered back, almost inaudibly, "Thank you Nagi…"_

_Their eyes closed simultaneously as their lips met in their first kiss._

* * *

The day of their first kiss seemed as far away from their reality as Pluto is from the sun.

The sounds of his new fiancee's sobs had shaken Nagi deeply. Was she really that upset? Was he wrong to think she would want to marry him? She was only seventeen after all.

"Nagihiko?" the boy's mother said, worry clear in her voice.

Eyes screwed shut, the boy fell against the wall, sliding down it until he sat on the ground, dropping his face into his hands. "Am I… doing the wrong thing?" he wondered aloud, fighting the stinging sensation in his eyes. "Was I mistaken to think that she'd want to leave her home? Was I wrong to think that she'd want to get married? We're only in high school!"

Even though Ms. Fujisaki was sure her son wasn't necessarily talking to her, she felt compelled to comfort him. She made her way over to the hunched-over boy, kneeling to rest a hand on his broad shoulder. "What's going on?" she asked softly.

As tears began to spill from his brown eyes, he confessed, "Rima-chan is… She's just crying! I heard her from the hallway when I went to check on her… I couldn't bring myself to even open the door." He was shaken by a sob that shot through his body, though he was somewhat embarrassed to be crying in front of his mother, especially when he was trying to prove he was an adult. "What have I done?"

Ms. Fujisaki's eyes narrowed, assessing the situation. "You only did what you thought was right, Nagihiko," she assured the young man gently. "Marriage is the most responsible thing. Perhaps Rima doesn't understand just yet. She's scared and probably feels alone right now." She smiled sadly and lifted her son's face, cupping it in her hands. "You have to be strong for her, Nagihiko," she told him firmly, wiping his cheeks with her thumbs. "She needs you to be there for her, and your child."

_She's right_, Nagi thought as a thankful smile spread across his lips. _Rima-chan's father isn't around any more and her mother has abandoned her now. Maybe it's not what I did that has her upset… But I have to talk to her._ "_Arigatou_, Mama," he thanked his mother with a kiss on her cheek as he stood, wiping his face before he returned to his bedroom.

* * *

Kairi was feeling… uncomfortable.

The car ride to the storage shed so far had been awkward and silent between the three boys; Yuu, Yuki, and Kairi, who was now chewing his lip nervously. He hadn't been alone much with his brother-in-law since… well, ever. It was very strange.

Suddenly, Yuu cleared his throat. "So… how are you liking high school?" he asked the boy.

Slightly surprised by the question, Kairi took a moment before answering, pushing his glasses up his nose. "It's not much different from Junior High school," he said evenly. "The work is moderately challenging so far. I'm having trouble occupying my time without Cram School in the evenings though."

Yuu made a noise that sounded similar to a laugh. "Yeah, I never liked Cram School," he confessed, scratching the back of his head nervously, unsettling his already messy ginger hair. "What about the kids in your class? Are they surprised that you're a year ahead?"

"It's only natural," Kairi said. "They're nice, though." His mind wondered to a polite, yet slightly awkward, girl that sat beside him in class. She wore glasses, like Kairi, but they were much larger and thicker than his own. It gave the illusion that her pink eyes were much larger than they actually were, making anyone that she looked at for too long a bit uncomfortable. But she was kind, and very smart.

"Made any new friends?"

Kairi knew his brother-in-law was trying to make a conversation with the boy– "small talk," he'd heard his sister say once– but his questions were a bit too personal for his tastes. He squirmed under his seat belt and adjusted his glasses again. "Yes. A girl named Yuuka Kawakane." He wouldn't exactly call the girl with the glasses a "friend," but he somehow felt a bit ashamed he hadn't been branching out. All his attention had been focused on Amu Hinamori since he started high school. Telling Yuu this just didn't seem right.

The man giggled (honestly, he was the _only_ man Kairi knew that actually _giggled_)and said, "Good! I think your sister would like it if you brought a girl home sometime!"

Genuinely uncomfortable now, Kairi shrank somewhat in his seat, blushing.

Musashi offered an apologetic look toward his Bearer, but he couldn't tell if the boy saw it. He was now absentmindedly picking at the upholstery that was coming apart below him, staring out the window, the low-hanging sun casting long shadows across Kairi's face and glinting off his glasses so that his eyes could not be seen.

* * *

_**Hmmm… this chapter was mostly characterization I suppose, but hey! I'm almost done rewriting the first twenty! A big thanks to **_**rimahikoandamutofan ****_for giving me the idea of Rima and Nagi's first kiss flashback so long ago :) I hope you like the little redo._******

_**Reviews, please!**_


	18. Explanation

**Explanation**

The instant Rima heard the knock on the door, she knew it was Nagihiko. "Come in," she said quietly, not turning from the closet where she was hanging up her school uniform.

Nagi hesitantly opened the door, afraid already because he had heard silence instead of sobbing when he approached the room. He was genuinely surprised when he saw her hanging up her clothing calmly, her face dry. Perhaps he had been mistaken and had heard shuffling, not sobbing.

But, he realized with a pang of despair, her golden-amber eyes were ringed with red, her nose was shining, her face was flushed, and her light hair was messy and sticking out at odd angles, as if it had been wet and dried while crushed between something…

She had indeed been crying, he realized sadly. "Everything alright, Rima-chan?" he asked nervously, attempting to smile. He couldn't quite pull it off, though, and it turned out more like a nervous grimace.

However, Rima did not turn to see it. She only continued hanging up more clothing from her suitcase. Back still toward her fiancee, she calmly said "Fine."

One syllable? With Rima, that was never good. Also, Nagi noted, her refusal to make eye contact was also not good. "Can I…," he offered awkwardly, "help you?"

Rima suddenly froze in her tracks, her arms about to grab another article of clothing from her baggage, and turned very slowly toward the purple-haired young man. "No," she said, her voice harsh and angry. "I can _handle_ myself."

Nagi gulped when he saw the girl's eyes, deciding that it had been better when she was turned around. Her eyes shot daggers toward him, revealing a cold and unforgiving soul behind them. "A-alright then," he stuttered, backing toward the doorway. "I-I'll just– I'll let you know when dinner's ready," he said, closing the door gently, blocking out the cold, infuriated stare of his fiancee. If he had had any doubts that something was wrong before, they were gone now.

* * *

"You're engaged?" Amu cried incredulously after Rima told her the news the following morning. "When did–?"

"It's a forced marriage," Rima said emotionlessly, staring off at the courtyard of the school. "My mother said she would let me live with his family only if we got married before the baby came. It's the most responsible thing," she added, eyes drooping slightly.

Amu didn't disagree, but she could tell that her best friend didn't like it. They remained silent for a moment, thinking. "Are you okay?" the pink-haired teen asked quietly, breaking the silence.

It took the blonde a moment to reply. "No," she finally murmured, eyes moistening.

Before either girl could say more, they were interrupted when Tadase approached them, smiling. "Good morning, Amu-chan," he greeted his girlfriend cheerfully. "Hello, Mashiro-san."

Rima nodded at the boy, her eyes returned to normal. Amu sighed. The moment to discuss anything personal and deep with her friend had, regretfully, passed. "Good morning, Tadase," she said glumly.

"Is something wrong?" the blonde boy asked, smile fading as he looked back and forth between the gloomy girls. "Did I–?" he was cut off when Rima spoke.

"Isn't that Kukai?" the girl noticed, looking past Tadase toward the gates of the school, toward two figures walking together toward the Sakura Quad. "And…"

Amu and Tadase's eyes widened as they turned their gazes to follow Rima's line of sight. They both gasped when they saw whose hand their friend was holding.

"Utau?"

The singer's hand was indeed entwined with a very nervous-looking Kukai. "H-hey," he said as they approached.

Avoiding looking at their clasped hands, Amu looked into the soccer enthusiast's green eyes, her eyebrows lowering. "Where have you been, Kukai?" she asked, anger touching in her voice. "And why did you blow up when Rima told you the news?"

Kukai ran his fingers of the hand that wasn't holding Utau's through his hair, avoiding looking at the seventeen-year-old. "When did you become so direct, Hinamori?" he grumbled, then sighed. "It's-a long story," he said after a moment, gesturing to the bench beneath the shade of the tree, indicating for the girl to sit as he did so on the bench adjacent to the one Rima was sitting on.

A bit guarded, still hurt from the boy's words the day before, Rima backed away from the redhead, giving Tadase room to sit on the bench beside her and Amu. He took the offered seat and reached for Amu's hand, a motion he usually made when sitting next to his girlfriend, but her hand was not there. Instead, she scratched at her uniform awkwardly and rested her hand, closed into a fist, on her lap, out of Tadase's reach. "What's going on, Kukai?" Amu asked, eyes moving from Kukai to Utau.

Before the boy could respond, he was interrupted by the returning Nagihiko, who held a newly-bought water bottle in his hand. "Kukai?" he said, eyes wide. "What's–?"

"I owe you an apology, Fujisaki," the green-eyed boy admitted with a sigh as the purple-haired teen drew nearer. "And– an explanation."

Nagi nodded, eyebrows knit as he slowly lowered himself onto the grass beside the bench Rima, Tadase and Amu sat on. It was odd, Amu thought, that Rima made no move toward her boyfriend– fiancee, the girl corrected herself mentally– and let him just sit beside her.

Kukai took a deep breath, wishing he had prepared something, and said, "I know what it's like…to have a pregnant girlfriend. I know what it can do to your life."

Amu gasped, golden eyes flicking to Utau. "Do you–?" she asked, shocked.

"Not me and Utau!" Kukai exclaimed, seeing the way she looked at his new… well he wasn't sure what to call Utau just yet. He suddenly broke into a fit of laughter. "You thought–?" He cut off again, laughing heartily as Utau joined in.

"We _just_ started going out," Utau said, still laughing.

"Well…," Kukai began winking at the girl, who giggled and shoved him.

Amu blushed a deep red, ignoring the murmur from Utau that sounded something like _That didn't count_ and looked away. "Well, then, how do you know?" she exclaimed, embarrassed.

"My brother," Kukai continued, laughter and smile fading. "My brother's girlfriend got pregnant when they were in eleventh grade, just like you guys." He gestured to Rima and Nagi. "The youngest of my brothers. About five years ago."

"You're an uncle"" Rima asked skeptically, eyes narrowed.

Kukai nodded. "Her name's Iva. She's turning five this summer. Anyway," he continued, getting back to the point, "it totally uprooted their entire plans for their futures. Minako– my sister-in-law– had to put off her college plans to raise Iva. Rento– my brother– had to stop training for baseball to get a job so he could buy them an apartment. Now that Iva's going to start school next year, Minako's decided to get her degree while her daughter's occupied with kindergarten. Rento, however," Kukai said sadly, "is stuck with the job he has. He can't get back into baseball now that he's 22."

The teenagers (and Utau) were silent for a while, all looking anywhere but at each other. Finally, Kukai sighed and turned his light green gaze on Rima. "I'm sorry about blowing up on you two yesterday," he said sincerely. "It just– brought back memories…about everything my brother and Minako went through to have Iva in high school. I completely forgot how happy they are as a family now, though. And– hey!" he exclaimed, spotting the small ring on Rima's left hand. "You'll be a family soon, too!"

Rima began twisting the small, silver band that Nagi's mother had given her the night prior and looked away from Kukai once again. "Yeah…" she said quietly, staring at the grass. "One big, happy family."

Kukai's eyebrows lowered when he saw the lack of emotion from the engaged couple. Even Nagihiko was silent, not looking at Rima. "H-have you guys set a date yet?" he asked nervously.

The two didn't reply, but everyone's attention was already occupied with a sight they hadn't seen very often in the past five years.

There, floating high above on of the buildings of the school, was a single, black and white, X Egg.

* * *

_**Darn Tadase, always ruining the moment. We almost got to hear Rima's true feelings! Oh well, I guess you'll just have to wait ;) She doesn't sound very thrilled about her upcoming marriage though, does she?**_

_**What do you think is going on with her? What's with her sudden mood swing? Could it just be the pregnancy? Review and discuss with fellow readers! ;D Thanks for reading!**_


	19. Reminiscence

**Reminiscence**

"An X Egg?" Utau noted the small, floating, black shell. "Haven't seen one of those in a while."

"Amuuuu-chi!"

"Amu!"

Utau turned to see Yaya and Kairi racing across the grassy quad to the group of teens. "Amu, there's–!"

Utau held up a hand to cut off Kairi. "An X Egg; we know." She turned to Kukai. "Well, it's not gonna purify itself."

Kairi jerked his head back in surprise, pushing his glasses up his nose. "Utau Hoshina?" he exclaimed.

Kukai grinned, forgetting the odd atmosphere around Rima and Nagihiko. "Yeah," he said in response to Utau, standing. "Let's see if we still got it."

Utau smirked. "I know _I _do." She turned toward Amu and Rima. "I think us girls can handle _one_ X Egg. Don't you, Amu?"

The golden-eyed girl nodded, a small smile on her lips. "Rima?" she asked her friend.

The other girl nodded as well, a determined look on her face.

Utau smirked and called, "El! Il!"

Instantly, the devil and angel Charas' eggs materialized and the two popped out of them. "I sense an X Egg!" El reported.

Utau nodded. She glanced over her shoulder to see the others were calling their Charas as well. "Up for some hunting, El?"

The blonde Chara's hand snapped up to her forehead in a salute. "_Hai_!"

Utau smiled. "My heart, Unlock."

The others, gladly taking this distraction over sitting in an awkward silence, said the same command; Amu with Ran, Tadase with Kiseki, Kairi with Musashi, Kukai with Daichi, Yaya with Pepe, Rima with Kusukusu and Nagi with Rhythm. Soon, they had all transformed.

"Seraphic Charm!"

"Amulet Heart!"

"Clown Drop!"

Nagihiko glanced nervously at Rima, who had just landed, Transformed, and was still staring at the X Egg with determination. "M-maybe it'd be better if you stayed behind, Rima-chan," he said gently. "I can go–"

Cutting him off with a disgusted and angry look, Rima scoffed. "Just because we're engaged, Fujisaki, doesn't mean you make decisions for me!" she spat at the teenager. Before he could reply, she wrinkled her nose in distaste and began sprinting toward the building the X Egg was floating over.

Utau's eyes widened in surprise as she saw the small, pregnant girl racing toward the egg, which shot away as soon as she neared it. The clown girl shot out her arm, sending materialized tightropes from the ground below her feet to the roof of the building. With surprising speed and agility, she leapt directly from the ground onto the thin rope and began running at the steep incline she had created and onto the roof. She still didn't stop.

"Wait–! Rima!" Amu shouted below the older blonde. Utau wasn't quite sure what was going on with them, but she was focused on the X Egg. It had been a good few months since she had been Seraphic Charm, and, she had to admit, she really loved the feeling she got from El's Transformation.

"Heart Speeders!" Utau was faintly aware of Amu's command below her. Soon, the pink-haired teen was soaring up onto the older girl's level. She pretty much ignored Utau, completely focused on her friend, and leaned forward, speeding up.

Utau's eyebrows shot up for a moment, but then she dismissed the genuinely worried on the pink-haired girl's face and shot forward, leaving Kukai and the others behind.

She soon caught up to Amu, spiraling in the air as she did. Amu looked over at her, seeming a bit surprised, as if, in her determination to catch up to her friend, she forgot the singer was with them. "I'll catch up to Rima and fly ahead," she called to Utau. "You chase it to the convenient store around the corner. I'll be waiting to do Open Heart."

Utau smirked. "I was about to say the same thing."

With a nod, Amu shot off ahead and around the street corner.

Utau took a deep breath. "El," she murmured inward, "are you ready?"

_Hai, Utau-chan! _came the Chara's hearty reply.

Utau smiled. _Let's go. _She beat her white, feathery wings harder and shot ahead. Soon, the X Egg was only an arm's length ahead of her. She reached out, straining. The egg was pretty fast. Her fingers had almost touched the smooth, shiny, black surface when it shot ahead, and really shot. Utau skidded to a halt in the air as the black and white egg disappeared from her sight, leaving only a sparkling black path in front of her.

_It– it's fast! _El exclaimed inside Utau's head. _I've never seen an X Egg that fast!_

Utau's eyebrows pulled together. She hadn't either. She closed her eyes, trying to sense the broken heart's egg. That was one of the upgrades her powers had received. Although they had had no pressing threat over the past five years, the group had run into a few X Eggs over the years and had trained in their Transformations occasionally to stay fit. Utau even took time out of her tour to practice in the streets of America. So, they had each received extra senses in their Transformations; able to sense where their own Charas were, where X Eggs or Charas were, and the ability to call upon their Charas when they weren't within flying distance.

Now, the blonde concentrated all her focus into sensing where the X Egg had flown off to. She reached out with her mind, traveling the streets of her hometown inside her head, following the stinking trail X Eggs and X Charas left. Finally, she found it. It had taken a rest a few blocks over. She'd even seen Amu in her mind's eye, trying to catch her breath as she finally caught up to Rima. Amu seemed even a little worried, her eyebrows tilted upward and her desperation to talk to the young blonde. Utau knew she wouldn't have time to alert the high schoolers of the egg's change in direction, so she'd have to purify the egg herself. "Fine by us, right, El?" she asked.

_Right!_

Utau smiled and shot off down the trail.

* * *

Within no time, the egg was white again and on its merry way to its owner. Utau smiled and wiped the sweat from her brow. It felt good to purify an X Egg again. "Let's get back, El," she whispered inwardly. "Amu's bound to be throwing a fit right now."

El snickered. _Right, Utau-chan._

Utau closed her eyes and gave a breathy laugh as she beat her wings in the direction of the Seiyo Academy High School. Soon, she was there. She lowered herself to the ground, where the useless others were waiting in the quad and popped out of her Transformation with a pink _pop!_

Almost immediately, she was bombarded by the pink-haired teen. "Where were you!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms out to the side. "You were supposed to lead the egg toward me and I would perform Open Heart on it! That was the _plan_, remember?"

Utau smiled. "Plans change, Amu." She turned on her heel toward the gate. "You should be getting to class, anyway. See you later, Kukai."

"Right," the redhead replied, sounding a bit flustered. "I'll pick you up at seven?"

"Fine with me." Utau couldn't help but smiling as she walked out of the school. She really couldn't have been happier to be going out with the eighteen-year-old that night, but was _she _going to say that?

* * *

The young girl giggled as she watched the group of high schoolers from her hiding place behind the creamy white pillar. Her face was hidden in shadows. She brushed a lock of her long, ginger hair behind her ear. "Well, well," she mused quietly, "looks like the Guardians haven't lost their old touch." She smirked.

Yes," the small, dark-haired chara that was floating near her agreed, nodding. "But that was just _one_ x Egg. For it to-"

"I know, I know," the teenager muttered, waving a hand dismissively, "for it to be a reliable experiment–" She lifted a hand, her eyes still locked on the Guardians-"I'll have to increase the test subjects. How about, oh, I don't know…" She snapped her fingers, and a ring of X Eggs appeared from nowhere. "Ten?"

The dark-haired Chara nodded with an evil smile. "Yes, yes," she agreed. "But are you willing to sacrifice this many minions?"

The orange-haired girl shrugged. "If they accomplish their goal, it will be worth it. Besides," she added, turning toward her Chara with an malicious smile, "if everything goes as planned, I'll have _plenty_ more soon enough."

As she was speaking, the ring of ten X Eggs had begun to 'dance' and chant in their strange, X Egg language. When the young girl held up her hand, they fell silent. "Follow the former Seiyo Academy Guardians," she said. "_Test_ them. Make sure to play hard-to-get."

The X Eggs squealed and shot off in all different directions, disappearing as soon as they were a few feet away.

The teenage Character Bearer smirked. "Make sure you find some _really _powerful broken hearts this time, will you?" she asked her Chara.

The small, dark-haired girl nodded with an evil smile and began to evaporate into the air.

Literally, _evaporate._

"I'll do my best…," she said, her voice echoing as the last of her disappeared.

The girl turned, her back now against the pillar, and crossed her arms across her chest. Her lips curled up in a devious smile. "Well, Guardians," she sneered quietly and to no-one in particular, "I hope you haven't gotten lazy after all this time, because I'm going to be a _real_ challenge. Nothing like boring old _Easter_."

* * *

_**Ooh, dramatic ending! Be on the lookout for those two newbies at the end, I didn't put them there just to make the chapter longer…**_

_**I couldn't really think of a great name, so I called it Reminiscence because they chased an X Eggs and Easter was mentioned, both things that were a part of their **_**old****_ lives._**

_**Read and Review, please!**_


	20. Revelations

**Revelations**

Ikuto raised an eyebrow at Amu and leaned back against the teenager's living room couch. "Something wrong?" he asked hesitantly.

The girl sighed and gave the man a halfhearted smile. "I'm sorry I'm so distracted," she laughed nervously. "I just have… a lot on my mind."

"Should I go?"

"No!" Amu exclaimed quickly, putting a hand on Ikuto's shoulder to stop him if he tried to stand. "I-I'm sorry," she rushed to cover her outburst. "Let's just– talk!"

The blue-haired man laughed, settling back down on the couch. "Careful, Amu," he said. "You might give the wrong impression that you _like_ me."

Amu's cheeks went red. Was she _that _transparent? No, he was just teasing, she decided, crossing her arms and looking away. "Ch! Yeah right!" she answered, stuttering a bit. "I was just trying to make you feel welcome. You can _leave_ if you really want to."

Ikuto chuckled again. "Come on, Amu, don't be so mean. You know you missed me."

Amu looked down, her cheeks growing redder. "I-I guess I sorta, mighta, kinda missed you a teeny-weeny bit," she confessed. She turned back to him, smiling. "What about you? I bet you missed teasing me."

"Oh definitely," he said, smiling. He glanced at the clock on her living room wall. "Damn, I probably should get going," he said, standing from the couch.

Amu frowned. "Come on, I didn't mean it. You–!"

With a small laugh, Ikuto patted the girl's head. "Relax, it's not you. I told my old man I'd pick up food for breakfast before I headed back to the hotel. Oh, and I almost forgot," he said with a smile. "I've got a surprise for you."

Amu returned the smile. "Really? What is it?"

Ikuto laughed. "Now, if I _told _you, it wouldn't be a surprise, would it?" He began to walk toward the door. "I'll tell you about it tomorrow. I've gotta get going."

Amu followed and helped him into his jacket. "Tell your father that you two should come over for dinner some time." She smiled. "You must be tired of takeout."

Ikuto nodded, still grinning. "I think he'd like that." He gave the girl a hug goodbye and turned toward the door. "See you later, Amu," he said as he entered the night.

When the door closed, Amu let out a breath she didn't know she was holding and backed up, gently, into the wall beside the nook that held the staircase. She slowly slid down into a sitting position. _Ikuto…_ she thought. _How long has it been? How long since I felt this way? This…confused?_ She closed her eyes and, through the black, could see her memories. When she first saw Ikuto, and thought he was cosplaying as a cat, with his strange ears and tail. The feel of his large, gentle hands on her waist as he tried to get her not-yet-hatched blue and green eggs. She blushed. She still remembered all the crap he did to her to tease her, and how, on a small, subconscious level, she liked it.

Amu shook her head, her eyes still closed. She shouldn't be thinking of Ikuto like this. With these butterflies in her stomach at the thought of him coming over for dinner in her home, the long conversation they'd had when he'd shown up at her doorstep a little after her own dinner had finished. _What would Tadase think of that?_

Amu's eyes snapped open. The thought had frightened her. She stilled loved Tadase, but…these _other _feelings…the ones for Ikuto and…Kairi? What would her boyfriend think of herif he knew that she was falling for the other boys' sweet and sometimes aggravating (on Ikuto's part) antics?

_What would Tadase think?_

Amu sighed. It was about time she was heading to the shower and, then, bed. She pushed herself up from the floor. _I really need Rima_, she thought wistfully. The two shared everything, advising each other when they had problems, divulging secrets they couldn't tell anyone else, and sharing the pain when one or the other was going through something. She felt a bit selfish, but she really needed her little blonde friend's help. _I'll call her, _she decided, and reached for her cell phone, speed-dialing her best friend's number.

_Ring._

_Ring._

_Ring._

_Ring._

_You've reached Rima Mashiro…_

Amu suppressed a sigh as she listened to the girl's voice mail message play through the phone. She was probably already asleep, or eating dinner still, or doing homework, or…

_Beep._

The noise startled Amu. "Uh– It's Amu!" she exclaimed. "I-I guess you're busy right now, so I'll talk to you at school tomorrow!"

She let out the aforementioned sigh and hung up. She wished more than anything that Rima had picked up. Amu was so confused…

She slid through her evening routine without enthusiasm, not even bothering to chug a milk before slipping on her pajamas.

"What's wrong, Amu-chan?" Ran asked, her tiny face contorted with worry as her bearer pulled her bed covers up to her chin, her face blank.

"Yes, you seem rather glum," Suu put in as she tidied up the basket the four kept their eggs in. "Is it Ikuto-san?"

Amu shook her head. "I'm just…confused…about some things." She rolled over and stared at the dark wall.

"It _is _about Ikuto, isn't it?" Miki said as she climbed into her egg. The others were doing the same. Dia looked quite concerned, more so than the others. "He's making you feel all strange again, isn't he?"

Amu set her teeth and closed her eyes. Her blue Chara was spot-on about her bearer's feelings, besides obviously not catching the vibe that Amu didn't want to talk any more. She said nothing more, just brought her legs up into a semi-ball position under her comforter, which didn't provide much 'comfort' for her tonight, and tried to clear her mind.

Sleep would not take her easily, though, and when it did, her dreams were haunted by images. Ones of Tadase's face, on the verge of tears, when he discovered Amu had been letting Ikuto stay in her room while Easter's dark plans were effecting him physically, ones of Ikuto's own face, when he left, when he returned, when he teased her all those times.

Then, they all changed.

She saw…blood. Lots of blood, on the ground. A small, black, shiny blade dripping with the thick crimson liquid. She heard an evil, twisted, yet slightly melodic, laugh echo in her ears. Water gushed quickly over the sticky blood on the asphalt ground, not washing it away, but making it thicker. Then it disappeared, and the crumpled shape of a body replaced it, hidden in shadow and unrecognizable.

Then, she was blinking awake in her bedroom, soft, morning light streaming in through her window and onto her face. She sat up. When she blinked, the crumpled body was still there, burned onto the inside of her eyelids. She rubbed her eyes and threw her legs over the side of her bed. She lazily put on her school uniform and walked down to the kitchen, pouring herself a cop of coffee as she occasionally did. Her mother was reading an informational magazine, her own coffee sitting on a saucer beside her at the dining room table. She looked up at her daughter with a smile, her soft, mousy hair swept into a side ponytail as usual. "Good morning, Amu." She set down the magazine. "Is Ikuto-kun coming for dinner tonight? I told you to offer him to last night."

Amu shrugged and drummed her fingers along the side of her coffee cup. After taking a sip, she answered, "I offered, but he didn't say when. He might call while I'm at school, so check the messages when you get home at lunch, please."

Her mother nodded and turned back to her article.

Amu sighed. "See you at dinner, Mama," she said quietly, setting her cup by the sink and slinging her school bag over her shoulder as she walked out the door. She decided to walk to school herself that morning, to get some time to think. Going so early would also give her some alone time that she desperately needed.

She didn't even stop to call Tadase.

* * *

Nagi was leaned up against the wall beside his bathroom, dressed and ready for school. Rima, on the other hand, was still in the bathroom, the door closed and locked. "Rima-chan," Nagi asked through the wood, "breakfast will be ready soon. Are you eating?"

Rima, who was brushing her long hair in their bathroom, glared in her fiancee's direction. "I'm not hungry," she said, pulling her hair back and assessing the look in the mirror. Deciding that it would do, she pulled the hairband that was around her wrist over her bunched-up hair and smoothed her uniform. "Go eat," she told Nagi through the door.

He was about to protest, but, after considering the possible consequences, he decided better of it and sadly walked away from the bathroom.

When she was sure he was gone, Rima sighed, her hand rising to her stomach. She didn't feel much yet, but she did see the beginnings of a bump. Or, at least she thought she did. She slid her hand across to the pocket of her uniform, retrieving her cell phone. _One new voice message_ the screen read. Mildly surprised, the blonde flipped the phone open and listened to the short and nervous message from her best friend, apparently left the night before. Rima had fallen asleep very early the prior evening, not even eating dinner. The "morning sickness" had lasted into the night, and, for some reason, the sight of her own guts in the toilet had diminished her appetite. It had also exhausted her, but there were other reasons for her lethargy.

Hearing her friend's cheery goodbye almost brought tears to Rima's eyes. She knew that tone. Amu was desperate. She was probably confused and needed her friend's help with something serious, but, because of her pregnancy, she hadn't been there for her.

Praying that she wasn't too late, Rima dialed Amu's number and waited.

* * *

Amu didn't know how she was going to say it. She had _no _idea. She just hoped her decision would help ease her mind and help her think. Not so far, though. She was shaking so badly that, numerous times, she had though she'd felt her phone vibrate. After ten false checks, she had just given up and laid down on her back in the grass.

This was the spot they always met at; the Sakura Quad: the grassy quad in between the front gate of the school and the halls, the one with the blooming sakura tree and the stone benches where so much had happened since they entered high school. Nagi and Rima, and Tadase and Amu had shared so many kisses beneath the tree's blossoms; they had first seen Kairi after five years here; the group had found out Rima was pregnant here; they had also discovered Kukai and Utau's relationship on its bench. And now, something even more revealing would take place beneath the sakura tree's branches.

Amu took a deep breath and waited for Tadase to arrive.

* * *

He came first, thankfully. He was smiling his usual Tadase-smile, cute and sweet. It hurt Amu so badly to see this morning though. Amu took a deep breath and proceeded forward to meet with him.

"Good morning, Amu-chan" came his familiar greeting.

Anticipating the next part of his morning ritual, Amu dodged his lips as the drew toward her cheek. She smiled sheepishly at Tadase's surprised look. "Um," she said slowly, scratching nervously at her arm. "We need to talk."

Eyebrows knitting, Tadase nodded and followed the girl toward the stone benches, where they sat, facing each other. "Tadase-kun," Amu began, nervous and shaking once again. "I-I'm really… confused right now."

The blonde boy tilted his head to the side; a questioning gesture.

Amu swallowed past the lump in her throat and wishing she could tear her gaze away from Tadase's big, kind eyes. "I'm– I just don't think that– I can be–!" She struggled for words.

Doing the most predictable and worst-possible thing he could do, Tadase smiled. "It's okay, Amu-chan," he said, taking her trembling hands in his. "You can tell me anything."

Amu choked on her words, tears beginning to well in her eyes. _No! _she screamed at herself mentally. _I promised myself I wouldn't cry!_ But it was too late now. The shining tears became too much for her golden eyes to hold and spilled down her cheeks. "I– don't think I can be in a relationship right now!" she forced out in a rush, stumbling over her words as she tried to stifle the sobs that wanted to emerge. She finally broke, yanked her hands out of Tadase's, and ran from the school.

She never saw Tadase's tears fall.

* * *

Amu couldn't stop.

She couldn't stop running, couldn't stop crying. She'd left everything behind her; her boyfriend, her love, her life, her happiness. And her schoolbag.

Without even realizing it, her feet had carried her down the streets, and straight into a shocked man's arms. When Amu looked up, prepared to apologize to whoever she had bumped into, she saw the surprised sapphire eyes of Ikuto.

She sobbed even harder when she realized who she'd come to.

She buried her face in his brown leather jacket a cried as his arms wrapped around her. "What's wrong, Amu?" he asked, his voice full of concern.

"I-I don't know-what to-d-do!" she sobbed. She wiped her eyes, only to make way for more tears, and looked up. "Wh-what are you d-doing here?"

Ikuto placed a hand on the teenager's head. "I went to your house first, but your mother said you'd already gone to school. Are you _okay_?" he asked.

"I-I–!" she broke off in another sob, but she had to tell someone. "I broke up with Tadase!" she wailed, voice muffled by his shirt.

"You _what_?" he whispered, shocked. "What happened?"

Amu shook her head in the folds of Ikuto's jacket. "It doesn't matter," she sniffled, embarrassed to tell him that it was partly _because_ of him. "Wh-what are you doing h-here?"

Ikuto lifted the girl's chin. "I have something to tell you and– Well, you," he changed the course of his words. He had to tell Tadase too, but mentioning his name right now just seemed wrong.

"Tell me," she begged. She needed something to distract her from the horror of what she had done at the school.

Ikuto took another deep breath. His eyes were serious, and his words were deafening.

"I'm getting married."

* * *

_**Finally done rewriting! **_

_**The proposal was just too unrealistic. They're barely seventeen, and you're not an adult until you're twenty in Japan so… just a break-up :/**_

_**Sorry, Amuto fans! Ikuto's not as into Amu as he appears to be! Don't worry, I'm not marrying him off because Amu doesn't deserve him (though she really doesn't) and I want **_**my****_ character to marry him, it's just for the drama._**

_**Reviews much appreciated! (Although you probably all hate me now ^^')**_


	21. Story Changes

**Changes!**

Hey guys! Sorry, this just a quick update, not an actual chapter ^^' I _am_ working on those now, though, that I've finally finished rewriting the first twenty chapters! Gosh I'm tired, it's almost 5 AM over here =.=

Anyway, there are some changes that you should know about before we go deeper into the story, if you haven't read the changed chapters.

Yuu and Yukari aren't newlyweds, they've been married for a year or two and have an infant son, Yuki, who Kairi's a little awkward around. He's somewhere around six-eight months old.

The time setting has changed a little bit! It's April, not September! School starts in April in Japan, which I didn't know about until recently, so I had to change that.

Nagihiko and Rima's marriage is pretty much FORCED. Rima's mother demanded they get married before the baby comes, but Rima doesn't seem too happy about it…

Yaya's a bit more in-touch with her adult side now, and she has a new Chara! Hoshi embodies one of her newer dream to become a professional dancer. (I know, it seems stupid now, but just bear with me. It's important.)

Tadase didn't propose to Amu, but she still broke up with him. I highly suggest that you reread Chapter 20, **Revelations**, even if you don't reread any others

To newbies of my story, sorry about all this! **Later Years** was my first published fanfic, and I didn't know a lot about writing them then. I've revamped the story and actually _planned_ everything out for the ending (although… it's gonna be pretty long). Thank you guys so much for reading and I hope you like the new and improved **Shugo Chara! Later Years**! Happy reading!


	22. Meetings

**Meetings**

"You know," Utau mused, peeking between the crack of her suite's bedroom door and the doorjamb at the redhead teenager that was waiting for her to change in her lounge. "If you keep trying to bum rides off me, I'm going to start thinking you're only with me because of my driver."

Kukai chuckled. "Maybe I am," he said, teasing. "Walking everywhere is a pain in the ass. Your limo's a real nice change."

An idea forming in her mind, the singer stepped out of her bedroom, wearing only her thin, white undershirt and short-shorts. "Then…," she began, smiling seductively at the teenager. "This doesn't effect you at all?"

The boy's face turned bright red when he turned and saw the blonde not quite fully dressed, sauntering over to the couch he was lounging on, feet kicked up on the cushions and head leaned back. "W-well," he stammered. "It doesn't, erm…"

* * *

"I'm sorry about you and Tadase," Ikuto forced, not taking his eyes off the road beyond his windshield.

Amu sniffed and kept her eyes trained on her fingers, which were fiddling with her skirt as she sat in the passenger seat of the man's old, beat-up car. "S'okay," she muttered, tears threatening to come again.

The two fell silent once again, a heavy, uncomfortable silence. Amu wasn't so sure agreeing to meet his fiancee had been the best idea but, when faced with the alternative of returning to school, she realized that she'd picked the lesser of two evils. She was still a little wary of the half-American woman Ikuto had briefly told her about, Rosalynn Ashford.

"_She spent most of her childhood in America, but she speaks excellent Japanese,"_ Ikuto had explained. _"Her father was an American stationed in Japan when he met her mother. They got married and moved back to America, where Rosalynn was born, but her mother got homesick when she was ten, so they moved to Japan for a while. Oh, Amu you'll love her,"_ he had assured her.

But Amu wasn't sure she would. Was this… American really right for Ikuto? What if she wanted him to move back to America after they got married? Was this the last time she'd see him? Would he go off with his new _wife _and forget about her all together?

The thoughts frightened Amu, but she wouldn't let it show. She'd meet this _Rosalynn Ashford_ and judge her when the time came.

"Are you sure you're okay, Amu-chan?" Ran asked, floating up beside her Bearer's ear, worried.

"Yeah," the girl replied quietly. She turned to Ikuto. "Where are we going again?" she asked.

Thankful that the pink-haired girl wasn't ignoring him, Ikuto allowed a smile to cross his face. "I gotta pick up Utau from her penthouse, then we'll go meet up with Rose."

It took a bit of control to keep the disgusted look from her face. Rose? He had a _pet name_ for her? Gross. "Is Kukai coming too?" Amu asked, changing the subject from _Rose_.

Ikuto raised an eyebrow. "Why would he?"

"Well, he and Utau are going out."

"THEY'RE _WHAT_?" Ikuto screamed, the car almost swerving into the next lane.

Amu's eyes widened as she heard squealing tires and shrill car horns. "Y-you didn't know?" she exclaimed, fearful suddenly for her life. And Kukai's.

* * *

Kukai laughed nervously as Utau approached the couch, attempting to sit up straight. "I-I mean–," he tried to say. "Maybe we could just walk."

Purple eyes sparkling mischievously, the singer leaned over, placing her hands softly on the boy's shoulders, forcing him back down. "Or," she offered. "We could just… stay here…" She grabbed his dark blue tie, gently but firmly pulling him up to her as she swung her leg over his torso and kneeled on the couch over him.

Ears growing very hot as the young woman's face grew very close to his own, Kukai gulped. "Th-that's an option," he agreed.

Just before their lips met, the door to the room opened suddenly, almost swinging off its hinges and smashing into the wall beside it, catching both the singer and soccer star off-guard. Without moving their bodies, they turned their heads toward the angry, blue-haired man that exploded into the room. His burning eyes quickly found the blonde on top of Kukai, lying down on the couch, and, though Kukai didn't think it was possible, his expression grew even angrier.

"Ikuto," Utau said calmly, smirking as she kept her boyfriend pinned beneath her on the couch. "What are you doing here?"

"Put on a shirt, Utau" he commanded, eyes narrowing as they focused on the redhead beneath his little sister. "We're going somewhere."

Kukai laughed nervously. "Yeah, I gotta get to school anyway–," he began to say, squirming beneath Utau.

"_You're coming too_."

The way the man had said it, there was no arguing. Kukai was going, whether he liked it or not. And he sure as hell did _not_ like it.

* * *

"Tadase!" Rima cried, winded, as she ran through the gates of the school. "Where's Amu?"

Turning toward the female blonde, Tadase sniffed. "I… don't know."

When she saw the boy's face, devastated and red, eyes wet with tears, Rima knew her fears were correct: she was too late. Attempting to hide her frustration and dread, she asked, "What happened?"

"She– she said she was confused…," the boy croaked. "Then she…" He gestured toward the entrance of the school, face crumpling. "Mashiro-san," he begged. "Did she say anything to you?"

Rima looked down, ashamed. She had failed, once again, as a friend. Amu must have broken up with Tadase, or he wouldn't be so crushed. She had truly been confused and hurting, and Rima hadn't been there for her. "No," she confessed quietly. "I haven't talked to her since yesterday." Holding her self-promise that she wouldn't cry any more, the blonde girl held in her tears, but it's very hard to hold yourself together when everything– and every_one_– around you is falling apart.

* * *

_**Yay, first new chapter in about a year! Wow it feels good to be writing this story again, I didn't realize how much I missed it.**_

_**Enjoy, everyone! Reviews, as always, are much appreciated!**_


	23. Rosalynn Ashford

**Rosalynn Ashford**

Kukai was sweating bullets as he sat, shoulders tense, beside Ikuto Tsukiyomi in the front seat of his car. He still didn't understand why he couldn't have sat in the backseat with Amu and Utau. In fact, now more than ever, he wished he was between them so he could at least hear what they were whispering about.

"Just _what_ were you guys doing when he went up to your room that got him so worked up?" Amu hissed at the girl beside her in the backseat, worried eyes looking an infuriated Ikuto up and down. Both were leaning toward each other so that their heads were side by side in the middle of the backseat.

"How do you know it's something _we_ did?" Utau countered, narrowing her eyes.

"All I know is he wasn't angry until I mentioned that you two were together, and he only got–"

"_You _told him about us?" Utau glared at the other girl.

Amu blushed and looked away. She had originally had no intention of telling Utau that she had let slip to her brother that she had a boyfriend, but, now it was out. "Y-yeah," she stammered. "I didn't mean to, and I though he already knew!"

"He didn't!" the singer hissed.

"Yeah, I could tell," she muttered, remembering how he had almost killed them both when she had blurted the news. "Anyway, what can you tell me about his fiancee?" she changed the subject. "Have you met her?"

"Of course," Utau responded, almost superiorly. Then again, almost _everything_ Utau said was in a superior tone. "They met at one of my concerts."

Amu raised an eyebrow, genuinely surprised that the singer wasn't beating herself up because _she_ had brought Ikuto together with his soon-to-be wife. "_Aaaa_nd?" she prompted.

Gazing out the window of the car, the other girl shrugged passively. "She really isn't all that bad. She's Japanese, so she's not _completely_ ignorant like an American." She sneered a bit when she said _completely_. "And she's a little shy, so I don't know all that much about her. She likes my music, so I can't really _hate_ her.

"And," Utau said suddenly, turning to her younger companion with such an intense stare that Amu flinched slightly. "She loves Ikuto. And he loves her. So play nice, will ya?"

Nodding solemnly, Amu gulped, wondering just what kind of person Ikuto's fiancee really was…

* * *

After another ten minutes of silence, the car finally pulled into the parking lot of a fancy-looking restaurant, and Amu's stomach began to do backflips. _I hope I like her._ And she sincerely did, if not for her sake, for Ikuto's. Though the man had been steaming practically the whole drive, throwing occasional dirty looks at Kukai, who had been constantly squirming under the pressure, Ikuto's expression had melted into happiness the moment the food establishment had came in sight. He truly seemed excited for Amu to meet the young woman that would become his wife soon.

Perking up as a question entered her mind, the pink-haired teen stepped out of Ikuto's car. "Umm, Ikuto?" she asked timidly. "When exactly _are_ you getting married?"

The blue-haired man laughed nervously and looked away, busying himself with his keys, locking and unlocking and locking the car again. "Uh, we'll talk inside," he said, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

_That soon, huh?_ Amu sighed. He probably wanted to wait until they were inside and around plenty of people before he answered her question, wanting to contain her reaction as much as possible. Somehow, the man's reaction had made her feel even worse, feeding the fear that was growing in the pit of her stomach.

Behind her, Kukai lagged a bit while Utau dusted off her skirt, his hands planted firmly in the bottoms of his pockets. He was a bit worried that someone at the restaurant would be able to tell that he was supposed to be in school, so he had taken of his uniform jacket. Amu had borrowed some clothing from Utau before they'd departed, so she didn't have a problem.

He fell in step with the woman a good few paces behind Ikuto and Amu, but was still too terrified to hold her hand while they walked. Kukai cleared his throat. "So… do you think he hates me?" he asked quietly.

Utau giggled, making the boy blush. "Probably," she answered. "You _were_ underneath me when he first saw you."

"That was _your_ fault!" he sputtered.

The blonde laughed again and shrugged. "You started it."

"I did not!"

"Yes, you did." Utau turned to the boy, a glare touching her eyes. "How dare you say you're only with me for my limo."

Kukai suddenly felt ashamed for the earlier statement. He averted his eyes, staring at his shoes as they shuffled across the pavement. "Look, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said–"

The teenager was interrupted when his girlfriend began to giggle again. His attention snapped back to her, surprised she was responding to his apology with humor. "Come on," Utau was saying, smiling sideways at the boy. "I _do_ have a sense of humor. I knew you were joking."

Feeling foolish for falling for her trick, the redhead blushed but, despite himself, smiled. "Whatever," he muttered, giving her a playful shove with his elbow. When she only continued laughing, he saw his chance to sneak a kiss and leaned in, smiling.

"Utau."

_Damn, I forgot he was there!_ Kukai cursed at himself, snapping his head back upright and almost jumping a foot away from the blonde girl. "I–," he started his half-assed explanation.

"Save it," Ikuto interrupted. "Just go inside."

The boy kept his head down as he shuffled past the man, avoiding actually _seeing_ his sapphire eyes glaring at him in hatred. However, Kukai could literally _feel_ the older man's gaze on his back as if he had heat vision or something. _I really have to be more careful if I want this guy to let me stay alive. Nevermind letting me see his little sister._

Inside the restaurant, Amu was awkwardly standing in the dining area, waiting for the others to enter. She tried scanning the crowd for a western-featured face, hoping to spot this Rosalynn woman. She had no such luck, only seeing families of tourists trying (and failing) to communicate with their waiters. Rosalynn apparently spoke Japanese, so she'd be harder to find in a sea of unfamiliar faces. Her grip tightened on the small handbag Utau had lent her to look a bit fancier for the restaurant, wishing desperately that she was anywhere but there– well, anywhere but there _and_ the school.

Not soon enough, Ikuto, Kukai and Utau joined her inside. "Come on," Ikuto said, the remains of an angry glare fading from his face. "She's already in back, at our table."

Amu gulped and nodded, following the man (who, strangely, kept Kukai in front of him, shoving him occasionally in the right direction) through the tables of well-dressed people enjoying their brunches, blushing awkwardly and feeling desperately like she didn't belong. She avoided looking anyone in the eye and kept her own trained on the floor. Soon enough, they came to a stop at a private table far in the back, where Amu wouldn't have been able to spot the woman even if she had tried.

She kept her head down as she heard Ikuto greet his fiancee with a kiss (whether it was on her cheek or– dreadfully– her lips, Amu didn't really want to know) and Utau introduce her boyfriend. Kukai shook her hand and, for the first time, Amu heard the voice of the enemy.

"_Hijimemashite, Souma-san."_

Admittedly, she was a bit surprised at the flawless Japanese the woman's soft and sweet voice delivered. Despite Ikuto's assurance, she had been expecting the woman's speech to be severely broken and mispronounced.

"And this is Amu." The teen blushed at the mention of her name from Ikuto, but didn't look up.

"I've heard so much about you," the sweet voice said. "It's very nice to finally meet you."

Finally, forcing her neck to move, Amu lifted her face to greet the stranger and finally saw Rosalynn Ashford with her own eyes.

She was mildly surprised that the woman didn't have very many foreign attributes. Her eye shape and petite figure screamed Japanese, but her wavy, dark red hair showed she was of Western descent. Her hand was extended for a handshake that Amu hesitantly took part in, her eyes never leaving the other woman's seemingly kind smile and warm, gray eyes. Remembering the words the other had spoken, Amu hurriedly said, "Ah! I-Ikuto's told me a bit about you too. N-nice to meet you."

Ikuto laughed warmly and said, "There's that social awkwardness I told you about."

As Amu blushed, Rosalynn giggled and retracted her hand, shaking her head. "She's just a little shy. But she's very pretty, Iku," she said to the man.

Amu stifled a gag. She called him _Iku_? Would these nicknames never cease? She laughed awkwardly to hide her true feelings. "Th-thanks," she said, looking around the room. Anywhere but at _Iku _and _Rose_, who were staring at each other dreamily. Gross.

"It's nice to see you again, Rosalynn," Utau said rather emotionlessly, seating herself and breaking the lovebirds' trance.

The woman smiled at her soon-to-be sister-in-law and sat in the chair Ikuto pulled out for her, next to Utau. "Always a pleasure to see one of my favorite singers," she giggled. She waited while her fiancee took the seat next to her, much to Kukai's apparent dismay. He began to move toward Utau's other side, but Ikuto stopped him with one hand clutching the back of the teenager's collar. He firmly sat him in the chair beside himself. Kukai sulked. Rosalynn went on, smiling at Ikuto, not noticing Kukai's sudden depression and dirty looks toward the man. "I still can't believe we'll be family in only a month."

Amu's stomach dropped. "A– a _what_?" she stammered, shakily sitting in the chair between Utau and Kukai.

The woman turned to the teenager, not seeing her fiancee's frightened face on the other side of her. "Ikuto hasn't told you the date yet?" she asked, honestly surprised. "We've set it for May 16th."

Covering her dread and shock with a shaky laugh, Amu said. "N-no. I wouldn't have guessed it'd be so soon though." They were both true statements.

"Oh we've been waiting quite a long time." Obviously the woman couldn't read the atmosphere. That was one thing, along with the red hair, that she hadn't gotten from her Japanese side. "Since last September."

"We met almost two years ago," Ikuto rushed to add.

Rosalynn nodded, smiling as if remembering the day. "I'd been a fan of Utau's since high school, and was so excited when she came to America for a tour. Stupidly, I'd gone to her concert alone, and was attacked by two large men when I was entering the arena." Her smile had begun to fade, recalling the terror of the ambush. "But Ikuto, somehow, had heard me scream and had come to my rescue– but," she said, laughing lightly and waving her hand through the air as if attempting to scatter the memory. "You've probably heard this already."

"Um," Amu said stupidly, a bit awed at the new information she had just heard. Ikuto had _rescued_ Rosalynn? "Actually," she said with another awkward laugh, "he only said he met you at one of Utau's concerts. Nothing more really."

With another laugh, Rosalynn sighed and said, "Well, that figures. Ikuto doesn't like to talk about it." She broke into a fit of giggles when the blue-haired man blushed.

Curious, Amu raised an eyebrow. "Um, why's that?" she asked, almost afraid of the answer.

"He got pummeled by the men who attacked me!"

At this, the teenager's mouth dropped open while the redheaded woman began to laugh again. "H-he _what_?" she breathed, not quite believing it.

Rosalynn nodded, stifling her laughter when Ikuto's blush deepened and he looked away, embarrassment clear on his face. "They were very large," she said, almost as an excuse to save her fiancee. "But they were just too much for him. I was afraid they were going to seriously injure them before I drove them away when I hit one over the head with a pipe that was on the ground. I'm sorry, Ikuto," she added to the man, touching his shoulder sympathetically, but the gesture's authenticity was diminished by the smile that still lingered on her face.

Still in disbelief, Amu shook her head but, despite her originally sour attitude, smiled. So Rosalynn had actually saved _Ikuto_. She would never have guessed. "What happened then?" the teen asked, her curiosity piqued.

"Well," Rosalynn continued, taking Ikuto's hand. "I helped him backstage– since he said he knew Utau. I didn't quite believe him, but the bouncer let us pass– and cleaned him up. He thanked me and, quite honestly, began to flirt." She giggled, blushing a bit herself. "And, here we are, two years later," she concluded, smiling at Ikuto. He smiled back.

Watching the two of them, Amu's smile began to fade. She realized what Utau had said was right: Ikuto really _did_ love Rosalynn, and, from what the teenager could see, Rosalynn returned that love with her whole heart. And, although the sight before her should have warmed her own heart, Amu's was turning to stone, as she asked herself: _What have I done?_

* * *

_**Thanks very much to SunRaysREdible for the Japanese translation! I really appreciate it! :)**_

_**And you guys know what else I appreciate… Reviews! Thanks for reading– especially you Amuto fans! I know there's a whole army of you, and I'm begging you guys not to move into attack position or something to punish me for pairing him off with someone else! But, you guys never know where this story will go… with me, anything's possible ;)**_


	24. Loss

**Loss**

Kairi admittedly felt a bit bad for lying to his brother-in-law about Yuuka Kawakane being his friend.

So, he had decided to make it true, and talk to the Kawakane girl. He shifted uneasily in his seat as he waited for class to start, glancing at the girl in question, who was awkwardly hunched over her desk, concentrating on what looked to be a very complex Sudoku chart in front of her. Her mechanical pencil's tip found its way between her teeth and she bit down lightly (something she did often when she was focused on something, Kairi noted), a light scowl on her face.

A bit nervous, Kairi cleared his throat. "G-good morning," he muttered.

Kawakane did not reply.

Determined to speak to this girl, Kairi tried again, coughing a bit before saying "Good morning," once again, but louder.

This time, the spectacled girl blinked and sat up a bit, a somewhat surprised look on her face as if she didn't know there were others in the room. She turned her attention to Kairi for the first time and blinked again, her large, pale pink eyes resembling those of a mad scientist behind his magnifying glass. "Oh," she said. "Sorry about that, I tend to get a little wrapped up in my work." She smiled shyly. "Good morning, Sanjo-san."

Her voice was a bit squeaky, Kairi thought, but he wouldn't let that stop him from an attempt at "small talk." Her eyes were a bit unsettling though. "That's alright," he said evenly. "I know the feeling."

Kawakane nodded and turned back to her work.

_I can't give up that easily!_ the green-haired boy thought with exasperation. What was the nonsense he heard the people around him talk about? "I, uh, like your glasses," he finally sputtered out awkwardly.

Again, the girl seemed surprised when she turned, but Kairi guessed it wasn't because she had forgotten he was there. "Really?" she asked in disbelief. "Most people think it makes me look like a bug-eyed freak."

_It does._ Kairi tried for a smile. "No, they're… nice."

"You're lying," Kawakane said, then giggled into her hand.

Kairi was a bit taken aback by the cute laugh that came from the girl's throat. It had only three ascending notes, and the last one cracked a bit. But, it was rather… sweet, Kairi decided, and his smile grew genuine. "Perhaps," he said, not really knowing why he was confessing. "But I know how challenging it is to have glasses as a child." He tapped his own rectangular ( and much more normal-looking) spectacles with a smile.

"Yes, it gets pretty tough with bullies sometimes," the girl said with a wistful sigh. "I wish I could get regular ones like yours, but my eyesight is just so terrible and my mother can't really afford to get me new ones." She blushed and looked away, embarrassed by her financial circumstances. She fiddled with her loosely tied-back orange-tinted brown hair. Or was it brown-tinted _orange_ hair?

Another smile came to Kairi's lips, this one a bit sympathetic. He knew what bullies could be like. "Well," he said, adjusting his glasses, "they're not _that_ bad, Kawakane-kun."

The girl smiled softly. "I know my last name is a mouthful. You can call me Yuuka," she said sheepishly.

Kairi blinked in surprise. She was older than him, yet allowing him to address her by her given name after only a short conversation? This making friends thing was going to be a lot easier than he thought.

Suddenly, the boy realized that Yuuka was probably waiting for him to grant her the same privilege. "Ah!" he exclaimed. "And y-you can call me Kairi," he said hurriedly.

There came the giggle again. "I think we're going to become good friends," she predicted.

He though it odd, but, for some reason, Kairi agreed.

* * *

Feeling more confused and defeated than ever, Amu pushed open her front door, though it felt like it weighed a thousand pounds. As she entered her living room, she felt her cell phone vibrate. Closing the door tightly behind her, she answered halfheartedly.

"_Amu!_" came her mother's cry.

"Mama," Amu sighed. She wasn't feeling up to this.

"_I got a call from your school!_" the woman continued. "_They said you never showed up to class! Where are you?_"

"I'm at home," she answered, pulling her feet out of her shoes and shuffling toward the stairs, dropping her school bag by the stairs, where it didn't belong.

"_What? What's wrong? Are you feeling sick?"_

Feeling torn about lying to her mother, Amu decided to just tell the partial truth. "I don't feel very good," she said, and she wasn't. "I couldn't go to school." She decided to leave the part about Ikuto and Rosalynn out.

"_Do you want me come home?"_

"No, Mama," Amu sighed again, trudging up the stairs to her room. "I just… need a little rest."

There was a pause on the other end, almost like Mrs. Hinamori was trying to decide whether or not her daughter needed her. Finally, she apparently decided that she was okay and moved on to the chastisement. "_Alright. But you should have called the minute you came home,_" she said with her stern, motherly voice.

"I know," her daughter conceded. "I'm sorry."

"_It's alright, Amu-chan_," she said, her normal, sweet tone returning. "_Just get some sleep and I'll check on you when I get home, okay?_"

They said their goodbyes, after Amu agreed to spend the day in bed and call a friend for her assignments, and the teen hung up with yet another sigh. She was sighing a lot lately.

"Are you okay, Amu-chan?" Miki asked, worried.

Amu shook her head, sliding down her closed door and onto the floor, dropping her face in her hands. "I don't know what I'm going to do," she admitted, tears pricking at her eyes. "I broke up with Tadase because I thought there was… something more with Ikuto. But," she said, her voice breaking as the tears spilled over. "He's getting married!" She began to sob. "What have I done?"

She began to shake her head violently, suddenly becoming angry at herself. "Why? Why am I always like this?" she wailed. "Why can't I think things through more? Why am I so impatient?"

Miki's heart hurt for her Bearer, seeing her so torn up. "Amu-chan–," she began.

"I hate being this way!" Amu sobbed, ears deaf with the sound of her own heartbreak that she couldn't hear her blue-haired Chara. "I hate this "cool" character I have!"

A pain suddenly struck Miki in her tiny stomach. Her eyes widened I fear and sadness as she began to feel her weight double, dragging her slowly to the ground. "A-Amu-chan…," she gasped.

Seeing her fellow Chara's distress, Dia herself was effected. "Amu-chan, you don't mean that!" she cried, attempting to right the situation before it went too far. "You can't–!"

"I wish I would just _go away_!"

With that cry, Dia knew it was too late to help. Amu had already made up her mind, and she couldn't change it with simple words.

Two halves of a checkered blue egg appeared over a writing Miki on the floor. She tried once more to call out to her Bearer as the cracked shell closed over her. "A… Amu-chan…" She managed only a whisper as the halves met, sealing her once again inside her egg, and everything went black for the tiny girl.

Seeing Miki for the first time, Amu's eyes became wide. "M-Miki?" she croaked, crawling over to the little blue egg, tears still streaming down her face. When the Character didn't come out, the tears began to flow faster, and the pink-haired girl looked desperately to her orange Chara for help. "D-Dia! What–?"

Pain festering in her chest, tears began to gather in Dia's eyes. "You wished her away, Amu-chan," the tiny girl said sadly. "She is that part of you, and you wished that it was gone."

Amu's eyes grew wide. "No!" she cried, cradling the egg in her palms. "I didn't want Miki to go away! I just–!"

Dia shook her head, looking away from her bearer.

Sobs shook the teenager again as she realized what she had truly just said. "Wh-when will she come back?" she sputtered.

As she herself began to sink, to Amu's eye level only, Dia looked upon her bearer with very sad eyes. "Only when you discover who you really are can we return," she said solemnly.

"'We'?" Amu cried as the diamond egg shells appeared over and below its Chara. "W-why are you going too?"

"Find your true self, Amu-chan," Dia said with a sad smile as the egg closed around her. "I know you can…" Her last words began to echo as her egg snapped shut.

"But–!" the teen wailed, reaching out for the egg as it fell from the air where Dia had been floating. She stared at the two suddenly cold eggs in her hands and broke down, crumbling and falling onto her side as she clutched her broken dreams to her chest, in more pain and sorrow than she had been in a very long time.

* * *

_**It seems like this whole story could be titled "Loss," huh?**_

_**Just so you guys know, this chapter was really hard to write. Miki is my favorite of Amu's Charas but, the fact is, Amu always kind of ignored her. I didn't do this because I hate Miki or Dia, but it just seemed like the most likely situation. Dia always seemed very closely-linked to Amu's feelings, and she didn't come out of her egg until Amu was confident enough in herself. Now that she's having trouble again, it's only reasonable to expect her to go away again… at least for a little while.**_

_**On the other hand, how do you guys like Yuuka? By the way, her last name is pronounced kah-wah-kah-nay, in case you were a little confused :)**_

_**Reviews always welcome!**_


	25. Frustration

**Frustration**

Amu still wasn't picking up her phone.

Dread sank in Rima's stomach like a heavy stone. Her best friend hadn't shown up at school that day after she broke up with Tadase (who had been very distant and blank-faced all day) and now wasn't answering her cell phone. And, although she was very worried for her friend's safety and current emotional problems, the blonde girl desperately needed guidance, the kind she couldn't get from Nagihiko and definitely not his mother. She needed someone to talk to; to help her make sense of her feelings.

But, she decided, it would just have to wait. Amu was obviously going through something, and Rima's first concern was her friend. Her own difficulties could wait. She hoped.

"Rima-chan," Nagi said nervously as he opened his back door and stepped out onto the patio where his fiancee was sitting. "Dinner's almost ready."

Something about the boy's presence severely agitated Rima. "I'm _not_ hungry," she said, as she had every night at dinner time since she had come to live with him, even though it wasn't always true. It wasn't tonight, but for some reason she didn't want to sit at a table with Nagihiko and his mother.

The other teen wasn't buying it tonight though. "Rima-chan," he said firmly. "You haven't eaten dinner for three nights now. You _need_ to eat."

"I _said–,_" she began to reply through gritted teeth.

"And maybe I would believe you if I couldn't hear your stomach growling." Nagi crossed his arms over his chest as the sound came from his girlfriend's abdomen.

Angry that her own body had betrayed her, Rima snorted and stood, walking past the purple-haired boy and into the house. After all, she had promised herself that she would do anything for her baby, and if she was underfed, the baby would be too. So, she forced herself to eat the (rather delicious) meal that Ms. Fujisaki had cooked, smile kindly at the woman, and thank her for the food. She didn't look at Nagi once though. That wasn't part of the deal.

"Rima," Ms. Fujisaki halted the girl as she stood to leave for her room. "I've been meaning to ask, do you have a doctor yet?"

The blonde bit her lip, embarrassed that she hadn't thought of getting one. "N-no," she murmured. "But I was planning on going to the hospital soon," she added.

"The sooner the better." The woman gave a small smile. "How, um, far are you now?"

"Two months I think," Nagi answered for her. "Is that right, Rima-chan?"

Rima nodded, but kept her eyes on the boy's mother. "About."

"Well then, we'll need to hurry with the wedding plans," Ms. Fujisaki continued, turning toward her son. "It can't be a big wedding, because of the, erm, _time_ restrictions."

Nagi nodded in agreement, looking down and placing his finger on his chin thoughtfully as a concentrated look crossed his face. "Yes, I was hoping for summer vacation," he said. "Perhaps June?"

Ms. Fujisaki nodded and said something in reply, but Rima didn't quite catch it. She wasn't listening any more. She felt… degraded, somehow, because they were speaking about the wedding as if she had nothing to do with it. She had everything to do with it! It was _her_ wedding too, right? Then why was it the _nobody_ had asked her opinion on it so far?

Suddenly, the young woman became very angry, her eyes narrowing as her small fists began to tremble at her sides. She couldn't take standing there in that dining room– that _house_– another minute longer while she heard her future planned for her. So she turned and began to run.

"Rima-chan!" Nagi exclaimed, interrupted mid-sentence. "Where–?" he started to ask as he stood abruptly, extending a hand as if to grab a hold of the blonde.

Rima stopped in her tracks, at the doorway between the dining room and the living room. The front door was only a few strides away.

The young woman looked over her shoulder at the purple-haired boy, her eyes narrowed in anger. "_Don't follow me_," she almost hissed.

Brown eyes widening in shock at the serious and wrathful tone in his fiancee's voice, Nagi swallowed hard. "R-Rima-chan…," he murmured.

"I mean it, Nagihiko," Rima spat. "_Don't_ follow me."

And with that, she ran out the door, leaving Nagi and his mother very confused and, on Nagihiko's part, hurt.

* * *

Ms. Mashiro was sitting at her small dining room table, all alone, staring out the window of her apartment. It always felt so empty, now that her daughter had gone to live with the father of her child. They were now engaged, she remembered, blank-faced. She wondered if she would even get an invitation to the wedding. She doubted it.

The middle-aged woman stirred her tea slowly, which had gotten cold without her having even put her lips to the china once. The pot she had used to make the tea was still half full, sitting in the middle of the table. Without even realizing it, she had made enough for two people. Odd.

As a single tear made its way silently down her slightly lined face, the doorbell to the woman's apartment buzzed frantically.

Staring at the peeling white paint of the front door, she wondered, _Who could that be? Who would visit me, especially at night?_ Pushing her tea aside, Ms. Mashiro stood and with slow, painstaking movements, walked to the door. As the buzzing continued, she twisted the golden handle and pulled the door open.

Her eyes widened when she saw her thoughts embodied in the night air in front of her. "Rima?" she whispered in disbelief.

Her face crumpled and teary, the young blonde said only one word, laced with relief.

"Mama."

* * *

The thousands of fans screaming were inviting, but not as much as the smiling redhead backstage.

So, Utau thanked the audience for coming and bid them goodnight, blowing them a kiss with a wink, and sauntered off the stage.

"That was great," Kukai congratulated her when she joined him behind the stage, out of breath but smiling. "I bet they want an encore." He laughed.

She did too. "I gave them two encores," she said, flopping down on the couch where Kukai had previously been sitting. "Any more and I'll lose my voice."

Kukai smiled and sat beside her. "Really though, that was amazing." He kissed her on the cheek.

Suddenly, the smile vanished from the blonde girl's face. "You said that already," she growled, annoyed at the repetitiveness of the boy. "Saying things over and over again makes them lose their authenticity." She stood, fists clenched, and said, "I'm going to my dressing room," before doing so.

A bit confused by the sudden mood swing, Kukai remained sitting, blinking in surprise as he heard the singer's heelsclip-clopping further backstage. "O-okay?" he mumbled to himself.

* * *

"Wonderful, Utau!" Yukari Sanjo praised the starlet as she entered the dressing room. "Japan is so happy to have you back!"

Utau rolled her eyes and passed the woman. She was _really_ getting annoyed with everyone telling her how "great" she was. Whatever. She could tell by the audience's reactions if she was good or not, she didn't need everyone telling her. "What are you doing here, Yukari-san?" she asked with a sigh. She had stopped calling her Sanjo-san about the time she got married.

"I came to see the performance of course!" the redheaded woman said happily.

"You're not my manager anymore. You don't have to come. Why aren't you with your son?"

"I own the company that employs your manager," Yukari pointed out. "So, technically, I still _am_ your manager on some level." She smiled. "Besides, Yuu is taking care of Yuki. I couldn't miss your first concert back in Japan."

"You could have." Utau narrowed her eyes at the woman. "Look, I just want to be _alone_ right now," she said in a low voice. "Go home, Yukari-san."

The older woman frowned. "What's gotten into you, Utau?" she asked, noticing the blonde's mood. "Is something wrong?"

"Yeah," the singer replied in an exasperated tone, as if the answer were completely obvious. "Everyone seems to want to refuse me my right to be along." Her violet eyes flicked to the door, hinting at where Yukari should go.

Her frown deepened. "Alright, Utau," she said in a small voice, hurt. "Come visit sometime, though. Okay?" An she left, not expecting an answer from the girl.

As the door slammed behind her, she suddenly realized what was going on with Utau. Her blue eyes widened as she remembered the times when she still managed the young woman in America (before she'd had Yuki) and the extreme pressure the young singer had been under, traveling constantly and performing almost every night. The stress had taken quite a toll on Utau. _She started having those…_ Yukari remembered grimly. But she had gotten a handle on it…

Hadn't she?

Yukari dearly hoped so.

* * *

_**Ooh, cliff-hanger. You'd better get used to those with me ;)**_

_**So what's up with Utau? Is our favorite little performer having issues? Well, then again, she seems to ****always**_**_ have something going on, doesn't she?_**

_**And what about Rima and her mother? Will they finally get closure after years of fighting and emotional abuse? Or will this meeting be their last?**_

_**Stay tuned to find out! (wow that seemed like a Soap Opera preview, didn't it? Lol) Reviews, as always, are very welcome!**_


	26. Closure and Disclosure

_**I've actually had this chapter done for a while, I just didn't want to spam you guys with a ton of chapters at once ^^' Besides, they seem to be getting progressively longer each time I write one... Anyway, enjoy!**_

* * *

**Closure and Disclosure**

Both mother and daughter sat in an awkward silence around the wooden table. Idling stirring their reheated tea and thinking deeply. Finally, Ms. Mashiro broke the silence. "Did you… Did they kick you out?" she asked.

Rima frowned and stared at her teacup. "No," she murmured. "I just… had to get away."

"Are you okay?"

Tears welled once again in the blonde's eyes, so she screwed them shut. "Yes," she confessed in a shuddering voice. "I… I don't want to get married!" Contrary to what she had thought, saying it out loud did _not _make Rima feel better. She actually felt worse, and the tears began to squeeze out of her eyelids.

This was something the girl's mother had expected. "You don't love Nagihiko." It wasn't a question.

The teenager answered anyway. "I do!" she exclaimed, eyes snapping open to look at her mother. "I do love him!"

Ms. Mashiro's eyebrows knit in confusion. "Then why don't you–?"

"Because I don't think he loves me!"

It made sense now. The older woman looked down. "And you blame me for forcing him to ask you," she guessed.

Rima scowled and looked away from her mother. What the woman had said was true, but she didn't like feeling so transparent. "Why would he want to get married in high school?" she grumbled.

"Because he loves you?" the brunette woman suggested.

"And why would he love me…" It hadn't really even been a question. Mainly a thought, put into words and spit into the air in a quiet tone.

"He loves you," Ms. Mashiro said without doubt.

"How would you know?" Rima had meant to be said harshly, but it came it sounding like she felt: helpless and desperate.

"Because of the way he protected you." The woman gave her daughter a small, sad smile. "He stood up against me to protect you and…" He eyes wandered briefly to the teenager's stomach, then quickly flicked back up to her face. She wasn't quite ready yet to speak about her daughter's pregnancy. "It may have been prompted by my request, but something tells me Nagihiko would have asked for your hand soon enough anyway. Maybe just not while you two were still in high school." Her hand twitched toward her daughter, as if it longed to hold her and never let go.

Rima's mind reached back to that night, when everything had felt like it was crashing down. She had felt as if her old life was being taken away and a new, undesirable life was being forced upon her. But she was trapped by the weight of responsibility too heavy for a girl of her age to carry. Now, as she remembered Nagi's protective stance between Rima and her mother, she realized suddenly that her mom was right. What exactly had Nagihiko done to show Rima that he _didn't_ love her? He had only ever been there for her, comforted her during her parents divorce and…

"Do you think Papa would have liked him?" she whispered, her eyes growing moist again as she thought of her deceased father.

Ms. Mashiro smile grew sadder. "Yes," she said quietly. "I think he would have been very proud that you had grown up so well. Except for your one lapse in judgment." She didn't say the words harshly, only with regret and love for her daughter.

Rima could feel that her mother meant it. It had been two years since the major earthquake that had killed her father, who had recently moved north after the divorce. She had never quite forgiven him for leaving before making things better with her, but she missed him dearly nonetheless. Nagi had comforted her, telling her that everything was going to be okay… That was when she had truly fallen in love with him

She suddenly smiled warmly. "Thank you, Mama," she said, and meant it with her whole heart.

The woman returned the smile after a moment of surprise. As tears flowed to her eyes, she said, "I'm sorry, Rima," surprising her daughter. "I was wrong to shut you out of my life. I didn't realize how much a part of me you are until you were gone. I… I'm so sorry." She began to weep openly.

Still shocked at her seemingly emotionless and cold mother's confession, Rima made no move toward the woman. She only watched the water pour from her eyes as sobs shook her body. No… those weren't sobs…

"Rima…," the older woman said quietly before looking up, her fingers pinching her cheeks, stretching them to the sides as her tongue lolled out of her mouth. "Funny face!" she cried.

Now, tears began to flow from the younger girl's eyes as she saw her mother laughing at her old joke for the first time in a long time. Rima cracked a smile and soon began to laugh with the woman, not even bothering to correct her imperfect form.

* * *

"Where are you going Nagihiko?" the boy's mother asked, her voice raising in distress as her son yanked on a jacket and step frantically into his shoes at the door. "What's going on?"

"I know she said to stay, but," Nagi said, his brow creased with worry. "I can't do that." He turned swiftly toward his mother, hurt and worry sparkling in his brown eyes. "I have to find her."

Ms. Fujisaki understood. "Alright, Nagihiko," she conceded quietly. She gave the teen a light kiss on the cheek. "Make sure she's safe," she whispered in his ear before hurrying away down the hall in a flourish of her kimono.

Nagi nodded and bolted out the door. He had a feeling about where his fiancee had gone… he only hoped he wasn't too late.

"Where are you going, Nagihiko?" Temari asked frantically.

"I think I know where she would have gone," he said quickly to his Chara as he ran down the street, dashing out of the way of a lone car as the horn blared. "I have to tell her–!"

"Tell her what?" Rhythm asked, worried.

The teen didn't answer, he only focused his eyes on pavement that stretched out in front of him and seemed to never end.

* * *

"Rima-chan!" Nagihiko cried breathlessly as he pounded on the door to her old apartment. "Mashiro-san! Please– Please open up!"

The door to the apartment over opened quietly and a middle-aged woman stepped out into the night air, wearing only a plush robe around her. "What's that racket you're making, boy?" she asked grumpily.

Desperately, Nagi's head snapped to look at the woman. "Do you know where Mashiro-san is?" he begged. "Did you see her daughter come here tonight?"

"Yes, Rima-kun was here," the woman replied, confused. "But–!" she added when the boy opened his mouth to speak. "They left nearly twenty minutes ago."

"Left?" Nagi cried hopelessly. "Where did they go?"

"I think an ambulance came for them."

Fear turned the purple-haired young man's blood to ice. He froze in his tracks, as if his chilled blood prevented movement. "An… Ambulance?" he repeated. "Are you… are you sure?"

"Yes." The woman's eyes narrowed as she saw the terror in the anonymous boy's face. "Are you alright, son?" she asked.

"I have to find her!" he exclaimed again, even more desperate than before. He began to race toward the street again, leaving the woman who had helped him confused behind him.

A block away, desperation having triggered his Character Transformation with Rhythm so that he moved even quicker, Nagi turned frantically toward his Chara. "Can you sense Kusukusu?" he breathed.

The little blue-haired boy closed his eyes in concentration and reached out, searching for his little clown friend. Wherever she was, she would surely be with Rima.

"There!" he exclaimed suddenly. "She's only a mile away! Follow me!" His flying picked up in pace as he raced toward their destination.

Thankful, Nagi began to sprint after the Chara. _Rima-chan_! he cried mentally. _I'm so sorry! Please talk to me! Please be alright!_

* * *

Yaya was moist and breathing heavily after her nightly ballet practice. She smiled at her teacher. "Do you think I'll do well, Sensei?" she asked the older woman.

The graying lady nodded enthusiastically. "You'll be the star of the show, Yaya!" she gushed, clapping for her student and in excitement over the upcoming recital that would show off her star student. She had been starring in shows for the past three years, and had grown better and better every performance. "The world has not even begun to see your talent!"

Laughing, the girl blushed and bowed. "Thank you!" she squealed. "I've got to tell my friends!" After some suggestions and encouragements from her teacher, Yaya hurried off to the studio's changing room and grabbed her cell phone from her bag. First, she had to call Kukai. He hadn't missed a single one of her shows the past four years, and she had grown accustomed to his smiling face in the front row of the audience. Although she only had a younger brother, she had mistakenly referred to Kukai as her older brother when talking about him to her fellow dancers. The older boy didn't seem to mind though, he was always the youngest at home, and it made her feel like she had less responsibilities. She didn't quite know how to explain it.

"Kukai!" she sang happily when the boy answered his phone.

"Hey, Yaya," the teen greeted her, almost shouting.

She noticed the loud noises in the background and laughed. "Where are you?" she asked. "I've got something to tell you!"

"Uh, I can't really hear you, Yaya!" Kukai was yelling over the noise now. "I'm backstage at Utau's concert!"

"But– My recital's coming up!" the girl tried to tell him, but she could tell she was being drowned out. "I'm going to be the prima again!"

"What?" he yelled, but not in excitement. He just didn't hear her announcement.

Yaya's own excitement began to fade, the smile growing fake upon her face, forced. "U-um… Nevermind." She faked a laugh. "I'll tell you tomorrow, 'kay?"

"O-okay, Yaya!" Kukai yelled back to her. "See ya!"

As she closed her cell phone and slowly returned it to her bag, the ballerina sighed. She had been so excited… now it just seemed pointless.

"Are you okay, Yaya-chan?" Hoshi asked with worry. "What did Kukai-kun say?"

"He's at Utau-chan's concert," she said, trying to keep her forced smile on, but her voice betrayed her. "I'll just tell him tomorrow," she added with a humorless laugh and remembered a time when he had put down everything he was doing to talk to her.

* * *

Nagi burst into Rima's room, out of breath with sweat running down his face.

Exhausted by lending his bearer his power, Rhythm wheezed and sank down to the bed, his headphones disappearing from Nagihiko's neck. "You did very well, Rhythm," Temari comforted her fellow Chara as she patted his tired head.

Rima's eyes were wide, surprised by the new guests in her room. "Nagi?" she said from where she sat, beneath the covers of the hospital bed. "What are you doing here?"

"Rima… chan," the boy huffed as he fell to his knees on the side of the bed where his fiancee's mother was not sitting, grabbing weakly for Rima's hand. "I… I'm sorry… I had to… follow you…"

Seeing how hard it was for the boy to speak, Rima gave a small smile. "Thank you for coming," she whispered, grasping the large hand that was reaching for her. "I'm sorry about how I've been acting."

Nagi smiled, although the tired muscles in his face threatened to fail. "There's… no need… to apologize. I… should be… saying sorry." He took a deep breath, trying to fill his lungs.

"I haven't given you the credit you deserve," Rima continued, ignoring the purple-haired teenager's words. "I thought…" She looked to her mother, who nodded for her to continue; to confess. "I thought that you didn't love me. That you didn't want to marry me. I know now that you were only thinking of me and the baby when you proposed. I'm sorry," she repeated.

Despite his oxygen-deprived muscles screaming at him, Nagihiko's smile widened. "I should have asked you your opinion," he whispered, managing to get it all out without huffing. "I didn't mean to make you feel alone."

Rima returned the smile and placed the hand that wasn't holding his on the boy's head. "Thank you," she murmured, pressing her lips to his forehead. As she leaned back, she said, louder, "The doctor should be back with my tests any minute."

"What are you doing here?" Nagi was reminded that she had been rushed off to a hospital in an ambulance. "Is everything okay?"

Ms. Mashiro answered. "She came to speak with me and began having stomach pains." She reached for her daughter.

"I'm fine now, but I needed to see a doctor anyway," Rima added.

"Mashiro-kun?" a doctor said as he entered the room, looking over a chart in his hands. His eyes fell on Nagihiko. "Who–?" he started to ask.

"This is my fiancee," Rima said, making Nagihiko grin with delight that she was back to her old self. "Are those my results?"

"Ah, yes," the doctor said, walking further into the small room. "I have good news," he said with a smile, crinkling the crows feet at the corners of his dark eyes. "You're just fine. The pain was probably stress or indigestion." He chuckled.

"That's wonderful," Nagihiko said, squeezing Rima's hand quickly.

"There's more."

"More?" the three other occupants of the room said in unison.

"Mashiro-kun–"

"_Fujisaki_-kun," Rima corrected with a warm smile toward her fiancee.

The doctor smiled again. "Fujisaki-kun," he repeated. "You're babies are very healthy."

Everyone's jaws dropped at least two feet. "B-babies?" Nagihiko sputtered.

"Yes. You're going to have twins."

For the second time in his life, and in the past two weeks, Nagi fainted.

* * *

_**Aha! Betcha guys thought I forgot about Yaya! Well, I've got things planned for her too, she'll get her share of the drama ;)**_

_**Well, I guess you guys are expecting commentary on the "babies," eh? What will they be? Two boys? Two girls? One of each? Well, too bad. You're getting nothing out of me. Nothing.**_

_**Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed! I don't have much else to say about this chapter so…**_

_**Thanks to everyone that's reading and reviewing, I try to reply to all the ones I get with explanations if necessary or at least a thank you note. I love to hear what you guys think about the story, no matter what it is! Thanks for reading!**_


	27. More than Friends

**More than Friends**

"Kairi-san," Yuuka said thoughtfully as she joined the boy, walking through the gates of the school. "May I ask you a question? It's a bit personal."

Mildly surprised when the girl had run up behind him, Kairi took a moment to answer. "Well, then it would be no different from your usual questions," he pointed out, and it was true. The girl always seemed to speak about deep and personal topics. However, with her large, inquisitive, and somewhat childish, eyes, Kairi found it very difficult to deny his new friend an answer.

The girl released the giggle Kairi was beginning to grow used to. "True enough," she said. "Alright then, I'll shoot. Why did you decide to talk to me?" she asked.

It was a personal question, but the green-haired boy didn't mind answering. Yuuka was very easy to talk to. "In all honesty, I promised my brother-in-law that I would make friends," he said, blushing slightly at his own confession.

"But why _me_?" Yuuka pressed. "Usually people do all they can to avoid me, not seek out my company."

"To tell you the truth," Kairi said, "I'm not quite sure why you came to mind."

"Hmm," the girl mused, looking down at her feet, the early morning sunlight glinting off her glasses and making her eyes invisible to him. "Very odd indeed…"

He had been a bit surprised by the serious look that had come over her. Was that what he looked like when his glasses caught the light? "Wh–what?" he asked nervously.

"Oh, nothing," the orange-haired girl laughed, smiling once again up at her friend. "Just thinking out loud. I tend to do that." She giggled again.

Kairi already knew this, so he smiled in return, uneasiness evaporating like the dew on the grass in the quads of the school.

"Well, I'll see you in class, Kairi-san!" she said suddenly, skipping off toward the interior of the school as the boy continued on his path toward the Sakura Quad.

"Very odd," Kairi found himself repeating the phrase he had just heard from the girl. And she was.

Musashi floated up beside his bearer, his own tiny hand on his chin thoughtfully. "She is quite a strange girl," he agreed with a nod. "I thought– just for a moment– that she could see us."

The teenager's blue eyes widened in surprise. "Guardian Characters? Why would you think that?" he asked in a hushed tone.

"I don't know…," the Samurai confessed quietly, confused. "I just sensed… something different about her."

Kairi agreed that there was something different about Yuuka Kawakane, but he doubted it had anything to do with Charas.

* * *

Amu felt extremely nervous being at school the next day.

She had managed to avoid Tadase so far that morning, but she knew it wouldn't be possible to do so forever. She'd have to speak to him eventually, the problem was, she didn't know what to say. What _could_ she say to the boy who's heart she had crushed for no reason? Well, that wasn't completely true. There _was_ a reason… she just had to discover it.

Confused and defeated, she sighed and looked down at her hands, which were resting on her lap in the quad at school. She was surprised (but, guiltily, happy) that nobody was there yet. She was so worried about Rima, and felt so guilty that she had missed her friend's phone calls the night before because of what had happened with Dia and Miki. When she had tried to call back, after she had gotten a hold of herself, she only got her friend's voicemail again. Why had the blonde been so angry lately? Where had she been?

"A-Amu?"

The girl sucked in a shocked breath and looked up to see Kairi standing over her, a nervous look on his face. She smiled weakly. "You scared me, Chairman," she said, offering him a seat beside her.

The boy sat slowly, his long legs stretched out in front of him, and pushed his glasses up his nose. "I apologize. You looked like you were thinking about something. Did I disturb you?"

Amu shook her head. "It was nothing," she said, but she was just grateful for the distraction. "How are you doing?"

"G-good," Kairi replied awkwardly, looking around the quad. "A-and you?" He didn't understand why it was so easy to have a conversation with Yuuka, whom he'd known for only a few days, but not with Amu, whom he told that he loved. Hmm.

The pink-haired teen sighed with a sad smile. "I'm okay," she lied. She didn't want anybody to know about Miki and Dia… not yet. Ran and Suu had stayed home today to keep watch over their fellow Chara's eggs, just in case, and Amu would just tell people that her little girls were off playing somewhere. It wasn't a _complete_ lie… "How are your classes?" she asked her friend. "Harder than you expected?"

Kairi shook his head. "Not much different from Junior High," he said as if it were a given. "Although the homework is more of a… load." The word felt odd on his tongue. He didn't usually use words out of their direct connotation, but he was making an attempt to "fit in."

When Amu giggled, he knew he had failed. It just sounded too strange, coming from him. It wasn't believable enough.

"I'm sorry about that," the girl said, stifling a laugh. She was amazed, as always, how Kairi could just make her _laugh_. No matter how bad she had been feeling previously, his company alone seemed to just cheer her up.

Kairi's cheeks lit up in embarrassment as the other teen's laughter, and he looked away, frowning. He cleared his throat, preparing to change the subject. "Where is Hotori-kun?" he asked the empty air to his right.

Amu's laughter stopped suddenly at the mention of the blonde she was trying to forget. "I don't know," she murmured, looking at her lap again.

"Is something wrong?"

She had to tell _someone_. She had to get this overbearing weight off her chest, and Kairi was there and… so open. Amu took a deep breath. "We… broke up," she confessed, hiding her struggle with tears with a smile at Kairi.

The boy looked genuinely surprised. "I-I didn't notice any hostilities between you two," he stammered awkwardly. This was his way of condolences.

And Amu knew it, so she continued smiling. "It wasn't… messy," she said with a nervous laugh. "It was just… time to move on."

Although he felt guilty about doing so, but Kairi smiled too. Tadase Hotori was out of the picture now, and, although it might take some time before she was ready, Amu was open to date again. "That's, uh, good. I guess," he said. After a moment, he felt truly bad. She had just gone through a breakup and he was only thinking of himself. The boy reached out a hand hesitantly and grabbed hers. "I'm very sorry, though."

Amu smiled at her friend again, but it was different from the ones before. This one was real.

* * *

Yaya walked into school with a bit of a slump on this day. She longed to share her bottled-up excitement with _someone_, but she feared that the lid was on her emotions too tight now, and that she might not be able to open it when she finally told one of her friends. She only hoped she would run into Kukai or Amu soon, before the frown on her face became permanent.

"Cheer up, Yaya-chan!" Pepe squeaked brightly as she floated beside the teenager. "Kukai was just a little busy last night!"

"Mhm," Yaya agreed halfheartedly. She was slightly angry at the boy for letting her go so easily the night before when she had tried to talk to him. Didn't he want to know what was going on?

"Hey, Yaya!"

The girl spun as she heard the voice she had been hoping for call her name. A smile brightened her face when she saw Kukai smiling and waving as he jogged into the gates of the school. The moment was only slightly dampened when Yaya spotted Utau walking behind him.

_It's his _girlfriend_,_ the girl reminded herself. _And it's Utau-chan! Maybe she'll come to the recital too!_

Yaya's features brightened once again at the thought of the couple attending. She laughed and began to run back toward Kukai. "'Morning!" she called as they drew nearer toward each other.

"'Sup, Little Sis," the redheaded boy greeted with a smirk. He called her that sometimes, as a joke, but neither of the teens minded. They were like brother and sister already, with how often they fought and indulged their secrets to each other. "So, what were you trying to tell me last night?"

Perking up as the excitement swelled in her chest again, Yaya's smile widened. "I got the lead role in my recital again!" she finally said.

"That's great!" Kukai said with a laugh as he mussed up the girl's hair. "When's the performance?"

"Stop that!" she laughed, swatting his hands away and running her fingers through her now-messy ginger hair. As the older boy stuck his tongue out at her playfully, she said, "May 11tht!"

"I'll mark it on my calender," the redhead promised with a warm smile. "You seen Hinamori or Tadase around?"

Happy that things were back to normal, Yaya smiled and shook her head. "They've gotta be around though. But I have to go to the library before class, so I can't help you look," she added. "I have to study for English. We're taking a test tomorrow to see how much we remember from last year."

"Didn't you _fail_ English last year?"

"I passed! … Barely," she said with a nervous laugh. "It's a hard language!" she argued when Kukai chuckled. "Which is why I have to study!" She said goodbye to the two (in bad English) and ran off toward the library.

When the girl was gone, Utau raised an eyebrow in good nature at Kukai. "'Little Sis'?"

The boy shrugged. "She accidentally called "Big Brother" when she introduced me to some of her ballet friends." He smiled, remembering the blush on the girl's face fondly. "I didn't mind. She's like my little sister already. Besides," he added as they began to walk once again toward the Sakura Quad. "I think it makes her feel like the baby again. She's sort of being forced to grow up for Tsubasa and her dancing and high school." He _didn't_ add that it made him feel like the protective older sibling character, which he never got to be at home.

"Tsubasa?"

"Her little brother."

"Huh," Utau huffed, looking slightly confused. "You would never have guessed that _she's_ the older sister, with the way she acts." She mirrored her boyfriend's earlier shrug.

Kukai smiled. "She tells me she doesn't, but I think she secretly likes being a big sister. Just not all the time," he laughed. "But, that's what I'm here for."

The blonde smiled at him. "You're pretty amazing, you know that?"

Unsure of how to respond, Kukai just smiled sheepishly and blushed.

* * *

_**Aww Kukai's so cute when he's…;)**_

_**I'm not sure why, but the song "Just a Kiss" by Lady Antebellum really seems to summarize Kairi and Amu's situation… Oh, is that just me? Oh well, maybe I'll make an AMV for it one of these days :) (you can visit my YouTube under TheSilverMoonLight, if you want) Now that I think about it, Taylor Swift's "The Story of Us" seems to fit for Amu and Tadase…**_

_**(Psst, I made an Amuto video ... go check it out - .com/watch?v=UBq-9BQ3qBY D)**_

_**Anyway, so, now that Rima's crap is done, we can get moving to the other stuff I have planned. And I'll clear up exactly what happened after the hospital fiasco soon ;)**_

_**Honestly, I didn't have a lot of this Yaya stuff planned out… this is one thing that I'm sort of making up as I go ^^' I do have a vague idea of what's going to happen here… before the actually planned stuff goes down :)**_

_**So, thanks for reading guys! Please review with any suggestions or concerns you have and I'll try to clear things up for you! Enjoy!**_


	28. Heart to Heart

**Heart to Heart**

"Hey, Hinamori!" Kukai called to the girl as he walked up to the bench where he sat. He tilted his head slightly to the side when he saw that her hand was being held by the green-haired boy with glasses. "Oh, Sanjo," he noted the kid.

The boy immediately snatched his hand back and turned swiftly toward the approaching party, pushing his glasses up his nose. "Good morning, Souma-kun," he said smoothly.

Amu blushed and avoided looking at Kukai. He still didn't know about her and Tadase. "G-good morning, Kukai," she mumbled. "Utau."

"Hey," the blonde said nonchalantly as she flopped onto the other bench below the tree. Kukai followed slowly after, processing the hand-holding thing he'd witnessed. Actually… what _had_ he just witnessed?

"Amu!"

"Amu-chan!"

Turning with gratitude as she heard her two best friends calling her name, the teen smiled. "Rima!" she cried, jumping up and running toward the smiling girl. "I haven't been able to reach you for days!"

As the girls closed the distance between them, Nagihiko not too far behind, their smiles became a bit remorseful. "Sorry, Amu," Rima apologized as her friend's arms wrapped around her. "I've been so distant lately." As they pulled back, her grin widened. "But I have something to tell you!"

"We both do," Nagi said with a smile of his own as he walked with the girls back to the benches. "Where's Yaya-chan? I know she'll want to hear this."

Kukai spoke up. "She's at the library," he informed them. "Studying for English."

Unphased by the new knowledge, Rima continued smiling as she sat on the grass beside her fiancee. "We'll tell her at lunch then." She couldn't hold it in any longer. "I went to the doctor's last night," she began, then recounted the events that had transpired the night before, taking great joy at the looks on everyone's faces when she reached the part about the– her stomach clenched in joy and a bit of nervousness– twins!

Amu was the first to comment, after the congratulations, her smile so wide she thought her face might split. "Nagihiko fainted _again_?" she laughed.

"'Again'?" Kairi, Utau, and Kukai said in almost-unison.

Rima giggled into her hand as Nagi blushed. "I had just run ten miles!" he defended himself. "I was just tired!"

Kukai let out a loud laugh. "Nice, Fujisaki," he commented, still guffawing. "Way to stay strong!"

As the boys stuck their tongues out at one another, Rima turned to her still-smiling friend. "Can we talk in private?" she asked.

Amu nodded and stood. "Sorry, Chairman," she addressed the boy beside her, who still had a slight grin on his face. "Excuse us for some girl-talk?" She giggled.

Kairi nodded and stood as well. "I should get to class now anyway," he said. And, with a curt nod to the others in the quad, he strode off toward his classroom.

* * *

"Wow, Rima," Amu said after she had listened to her friend recap everything that had happened, much deeper than what she had revealed to the others. Her eyebrows were lowered, touched with sadness by everything she had missed. "I had no idea that all that was going on. I'm so sorry."

The blonde girl shrugged, a sad smile on her face, and continued staring at the moving ground below her feet. "It's okay," she said, then looked up at her friend. "I wasn't there for you when you needed me."

Amu regarded the girl with a confused look.

"I know what happened with Tadase," Rima confessed, her smile fading. "I had no idea that you…," she trailed off. How horrible was that? She didn't even know what she didn't know.

With a sigh, the pink-haired girl began to slowly explain what had happened. Her mixed feelings about Ikuto and his fiancee, and the possible feelings she still had for Kairi. "I don't know how to feel about Rosalynn," she confessed, her brow knit. "She's kind, and seems to love Ikuto. But still…" She sighed again. She truly didn't know how to explain her feelings.

"You think you might have loved him too?"

Shocked that her friend had put into words the feelings Amu herself couldn't understand, she turned her wide, golden eyes on Rima. "How did you–?" she started to ask.

The girl only shrugged with a small smile reappearing on her lips. "You're my best friend, Amu," she said. "It's my job to understand you. Even if you don't understand yourself."

Suddenly, tears began to form in Amu's eyes. She smiled and threw her arms around her little companion. "You're going to be a great mom, Rima," she said tearfully.

Water filled the other girl's amber eyes too. "Thank you," she whispered, returning the hug, but she wasn't as sure as her friend seemed to be.

* * *

When class finally began, Amu's stomach dropped. _There's Tadase,_ she noted to herself as she watched the blonde enter the classroom, smiling at a fellow class representative as they passed each other in the hall. Seeing that smile did things worse to the girl's insides, as if they were tortured forms of the lovely butterflies that once hovered there when he gave that smile to her. "I… I don't think I can do this," she breathed, backing away from the classroom door.

Rima frowned. "You have to go to class," she said firmly, wrapping her fingers around her friend's arm as she began to pull her inside. "Just stay strong."

_Easier said than done_, Amu though glumly, her face falling so far she doubted she'd ever be able to pick it up. However, she _did_ have to go to class. She'd managed to skip out yesterday, so she was already probably behind in work. It would be okay, she tried to tell herself. _Just don't look at him_.

She discovered that would be all too easy when she settled into her seat.

"Where's Hotori-kun?" Amu overheard the blue-haired boy that sat behind her ask the tall girl that sat beside him, gesturing to the empty seat beside Amu.

"He asked the teacher for a new seat," the girl said quietly, as if to keep her words from reaching the pink-haired girl's ears. She failed, though. "I think he and Hinamori-san broke up!" Her last statement was almost a hiss.

"Really?" the boy beside her whispered back, his voice dropping as he gossiped.

The girl nodded. "The teacher said Hinamori-san was absent because she was sick, but I heard that she went to go see her _new_ boyfriend for a date!"

_There go the rumors again_, Amu thought with despair, her eyes pricking, as she listened to the whispers all over the classroom begin as Tadase took his new seat in the far corner of the room.

_They sound like bees_, she thought, her mind wandering from the lesson as the buzzing continued behind the teacher's back. _Why can't someone just fill the room with smoke so they'll all go to sleep?_ She sighed and leaned her cheek on her hand. _I wish I hadn't come to class_, she thought, closing her eyes to stop the tears from flowing out of them. _I need to get out of here._

But she couldn't. She had to stay, had to pay attention. She couldn't miss more school. It would be over soon enough, she assured herself. Just hold on.

* * *

The day was _not_ over soon enough though, and Amu found her joints stiff and tired when the final bell rang, as if she had spent _days_ sitting in that chair instead of merely hours. The only up of the day had been lunch, when she had been able to escape the whispers and hushed conversations to be with her friends. However, that break couldn't have lasted long enough, and she now desperately needed to talk to someone. Rima and Nagihiko had to be home quickly because more baby furniture was going to be delivered (since they had, naturally, only gotten one crib and such), so they were out. _Ikuto?_ Amu thought hopefully, but decided against it. His wedding was only a month away, barely. He was probably going over the details now that his fiancee had arrived in Japan. She didn't want to bother them.

"Um, Amu?"

She was snapped out of her deep thoughts by the deep voice of Kairi. "Eh!" she exclaimed. "Chairman!"

"Right," the boy said, nervously pushing his glasses up his nose. The sun glinted white off of them, masking his eyes. "You… Well…," he struggled to find words to tell the teen.

"What is it?" Amu asked, very curious to what he had to say.

"Well…"

"Go ahead…"

"You're causing a bit of a road block," Kairi finally said awkwardly.

"Eh?" For the first time, the pink-haired girl looked around at the sea of teenagers leaving their classrooms and filing toward the gates, and noticed that everyone was forced to detour when they reached the spot where she was standing. A large area of space had formed around her, with glares shot at her from every direction. Eyes wide with panic, Amu began to hyperventilate, arms flying wildly as she tried to get out of the way.

Noticing the girl's distress, Kairi shook off his surprise at the sudden outburst. With a quick shove of his glasses up his nose once again, he grabbed the girl's wrist and began to pull her, now suddenly silent with surprise of her own, toward the edge of the school's gates. When they were released onto the sidewalk, he brought them to a stop out of the way of the crowds. "I apologize for pulling you, Amu," he said, adjusting the strap on his schoolbag.

Instead of replying immediately, she just blinked. She wasn't used to the passive boy taking charge. She really hadn't expected it when he'd firmly grabbed her arm and guided her out of the school. "Oh, um, that's okay," she finally stammered.

"I figured it would be easier to just go with the crowd," Kairi explained, blushing slightly. "Rather than fighting through it."

Amu nodded in agreement. Suddenly, she realized that this was the perfect opportunity to finally talk to someone. She opened her mouth to say something, but was interrupted before she could even utter a word.

"Would you like to join me at the plaza?" the boy asked quickly, his blush deepening as his eyebrows pulled up in the middle awkwardly.

Blinking in surprise, Amu was silent once again. She shook herself mentally and smiled. It was like he had read her mind.

"I– Yukari wanted me to pick up some things for my room," he rushed to explain. "Please don't feel–"

"I'd love to," Amu said with a smile.

Kairi returned the smile with relief mixed in. "R-right," he stuttered. "Then– let's go."

Nodding as her smile widened, Amu fell into step beside the green-haired boy, wondering how one day could have so many ups and downs.

* * *

_**Sorry it's been so long, I got caught up in the Harry Potter pandemonium when Part 2 came out ^^' I started planning a new fanfic for them and lost my motivation for this one! DX But, I'm back to the Guardians, and I've got a lot more planning to do before I get committed to Al, Scorpius, and the gang. Also, I want to finish rereading the HP series to get the feel of JK Rowling's style (and I just love them 3). And I WILL finish Later Years before I get going on any other fics.**_

_**Well, thanks to everyone who's been reading and reviewing! It really means a lot to me! :'D**_


	29. There for You

**There for You**

"What about this lamp, Chairman?" Amu smiled and held up the green lamp so that Kairi could see. "It's not too expensive."

The boy made a grunt of approval and gestured to the basket around his arm, that already held a new set of bedsheets and pillowcases. "That should be fine," he said as Amu placed it gently in the basket. "I think we're almost done," he added, adjusting his glasses on his nose and surveying the list his sister had given him earlier that morning.

Musashi nodded, reading over his bearer's shoulder. "The only thing left is …" He trailed off, his tiny eyebrows merging as his eyes gained a far away look.

"What is it?" Amu asked, concerned.

"I sense…," the Chara began, slowly floating toward the front of the furniture shop and gazing through the glass door. Leaving the basket behind, the teenagers followed, slightly worried. "There," Musashi said finally, pointing through the door, toward crowded plaza outside. "An X Egg."

"Another?" Amu exclaimed, suddenly running to follow the Chara. She spotted the little black oval bobbing through the crowd outside the door, and her heart skipped a beat. "We have to do something!"

Kairi nodded, scowling at the flying egg. He nodded in silent agreement and pushed his way out of the shop.

Once out of doors, Amu began to feel extremely worried. _Why are X Eggs coming back all of a sudden?_ she thought, frowning. _Why _now_, of all times?_ Keeping her eyes on the X Egg, she followed Kairi as they moved swiftly through the throng of people in the shopping center, her insides clenching every time someone walked past and blocked her view.

"We'll have to find a place where no one will be able to see us Transform," Kairi muttered out of the corner of his mouth as he moved steadily through the crowd. "Please keep the egg in your sight."

Amu nodded, though she didn't need Kairi to tell her. She hadn't fought an X Egg in quite a long time. Truth be told, she missed the overwhelmingly heart-warming feeling she got when she watched the black eggs become pure once more and return to the heart of the child it would inspire and lead. She was excited to feel that way again, especially after everything that had happened over the past few days.

* * *

"They sure are taking their sweet time," the young girl muttered as she watched the teenagers hurrying along after the X Egg, finally leaving the plaza.

"It wasn't very wise to unleash this one in a public place," Mizu commented as she floated beside her Bearer's ear, high above the crowd on a rooftop of one of the shops in the plaza. "They'll have to chase it to a secluded area before they can transform."

"I had to make sure they saw it!" the girl snapped, then sighed. "But, this is _boring_." She pouted and flicked her ginger hair over her shoulder. "Now _we'll _have to chase _them_." She sighed and stood, turning to her Chara. She suddenly smiled maliciously. "Let's go, Mizu."

* * *

"This should be far enough," Kairi finally said, after he and Amu had managed to get the X Egg the chase them. They had made it three blocks ahead and stopped in an empty street. He turned to Amu, opened his mouth as though he were about to say something, then closed it and frowned, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

"What is it?" the girl asked, nervously glancing behind her to see if the X Egg had caught up yet.

"Amu…," Kairi said slowly. "Where are your Charas?"

The teen turned to her side, sure the four Guardians would be there, but they weren't, and the memory that she had told them to stay home that morning sank into her mind once more like a heavy stone. "On no…," she muttered. _The one day I really need them! _she cried mentally, whipping around frantically to see if the egg had caught up with them yet. "I-I told them to stay home today!" she stammered, feeling the heat in her face rise with guilt. "M-Miki wasn't feeling well," she lied, then turned back to Kairi, knowing their time was running out. "You'll have to capture it!"

Kairi looked positively taken aback. "But, I can't purify them!" he exclaimed, eyes darting around the corner behind his rectangular glasses. "Only you and Hoshina-san can!"

"But you can trap it!" Amu said, a plan forming in her mind. "Or at least chase it while I get something to hold it in!" Yes, she decided, that would work. Kairi would keep it busy while she ran to get a jar or a box and they'd trap it! Then they could take it back to her house and she'd purify it with Ran. She told this plan to Kairi, who just gaped at her.

"B-but–!" he sputtered, losing his composure as the panic set in.

"We don't have time to do anything else!" Amu pointed out, swinging her arm behind her to gesture to the X Egg that was racing toward them. "Just Transform already!"

For a tense moment, Amu wasn't sure whether Kairi would follow her advice. He opened and closed his mouth several times before setting his features and turning toward his Chara. "She's right," he said finally, and Amu sighed with relief. "We have to keep it busy, Musashi." He turned to Amu again. "Hurry and find something to hold the egg, please," he said before saying the words that initiated a Character Transformation: "My heart: Unlock!"

* * *

"Well, well!" the now dark-haired girl murmured as she watched the seventeen-year-old race back toward the plaza. "This is an unexpected turn of events! Little Heart seems to have misplaced her Charas." She giggled, but it was an evil, twisted little laugh. "This will be a very interesting experiment indeed." She narrowed her dark blue eyes and smiled viciously again. "I certainly didn't expect _this_…"

* * *

Kukai smiled as he watched Utau approach him backstage. He had just arrived in time to see the last two songs of her rehearsal. "You're gonna rock them tonight, Utau," he told her confidently.

Utau narrowed her eyes in response. "Well," she said shortly. "I guess you won't know because you aren't _staying_, are you?"

The smile on the redhead's face faded into a guilty grimace. "Yeah, I'm sorry," he sighed, taking Utau's hands in his own. "I've got a ton of homework I've been putting off."

"You _just_ started school."

"My last year too, thank God," Kukai laughed, attempting to lighten the mood. He appeared to have failed though, and sighed again at the blonde's seemingly permanent scowl. "Look, I promise I'll make it to all your weekend shows. Just give me a break with the school nights, alright?" He smiled hopefully at his girlfriend.

However, Utau did not take this compromise well. She yanked her hands out of Kukai's grasp with a disgusted scoff. "Forget it," she almost growled, and began to storm away toward her dressing room.

Taken aback, Kukai just stared after her for a moment. Finally, he shook himself and shouted, "Hey! Utau – Wait!" and began to chase after her.

The blonde's head whipped around, her pigtails swinging wildly, and glared at her boyfriend, her eyes blazing, angry slits. He stopped in his tracks. "_Forget it_," Utau hissed, then turned around and continued walking. This time, Kukai did not follow.

* * *

Kairi, as Samurai Soul, slashed outward at the X Egg, making sure to hesitate by the slightest bit so that it got out of the blade's way. _Amu!_ he called silently to the girl. _Hurry! I cannot keep this up forever!_ And he couldn't. He had managed for the past ten minutes to fight the egg, without actually trying to hurt it, but it was growing difficult. Based on the movements of his little black-and-white opponent, Kairi believed it had guessed that he was missing it on purpose, and was testing it's luck by counterattacking every now and then. If Amu didn't arrive soon, he might actually have to destroy the egg.

_No_, he thought firmly, dodging the egg's attack and swinging out at it. _I vowed to myself that I wouldn't destroy any more dreams. I have to hold the X Egg off until Amu returns_.

* * *

"Look!" The dark-haired girl laughed at the figures below her. The pink-haired girl had returned with a jar, and was yelling to the Samurai boy to get the X Egg he had been holding off into the glass container. It was quite an amusing scene. "It seems like they can't handle more than one egg in a few days," she giggled. "They sure have gotten rusty."

_What do you intend to do?_ came the voice of Mizu from within her.

"I intend to do _nothing_," the girl whispered, a smile spreading across her lips. "How are they supposed to learn if I get involved so soon? No, I think I'll let this one play out… Oh! They almost got it that time!"

She laughed again as she watched the X Egg avoid the jar and smash into the older girl, receiving a pained shriek from her and a cry of worry from the green-haired boy. The egg shot away, laughing in its strange little voice, and propelled itself toward the Samurai. Since his attention was directed toward his fallen companion, he was caught off-guard, and had only a moment to react.

The young teenager's navy-blue eyes narrowed, full of dark amusement, as she watched his movements. "Looks like he wasn't quite ready for this one," she said in a low voice. "Make a note of this, Mizu.

"Little Heart and Little Samurai have Failed."

* * *

Amu's mouth fell open as she watched Kairi's blade connect with the shell of the X Egg. The boy's eyes widened into large, blue saucers as the sword sliced through the thin, black-and-white shell like butter, cutting it in half before he had time to pull his arm back.

The egg shattered in a thousand pieces with a shrill scream and fell, glittering with black and purple light, to the ground in front of Amu. "No," she whispered as she watched the fragments disappeared, her hands curling into fists on the ground where she had fallen. "_No!_" She pounded her fist on the pavement in anger and screwed her eyes shut to fight the tears. "That wasn't supposed to happen!" she cried. "That–!"

"I'm very sorry, Amu," Kairi muttered, now returned to normal, Musashi floating by his side. "I claim full responsibility for my–"

"No," Amu repeated for the third time, he head hanging. "It's not your fault. It's mine."

Kairi frowned. "I was the one–," he began, but was interrupted again.

"I lied," Amu went on, her voice cracking as dark spots began to form on the sidewalk below her head. "I don't have my Charas with me because… because Miki and Dia… They've gone back into their eggs!" she choked out, breaking into a sob as the last words left her mouth.

Kairi's eyebrows drew closer, in disbelief of what he had heard. "They…?" he trailed off, unable to find words.

But the girl seemed to understand, or just had more to say. "They won't come out!" she sobbed, lifting her tear-stained face toward her friend. "I didn't want anyone to know, so I told Ran and Suu to stay home with them," she blurted, unable to keep it in. She continued with a broken explanation of what had happened the night she lost Miki and Dia, breaking off into sobs occasionally, while Kairi just stood over her, his eyebrows drawing closer every moment, until they threatened to become one.

"I-I don't know wh-what to d-do!" Amu finally finished, blubbering as her shoulders slumped and she looked down again. _I'm a failure as a Guardian,_ she thought bitterly. _I've failed _everyone_. I don't deserve Charas or_–

But her thoughts were interrupted when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Amu looked up, surprised to see Kairi kneeling beside her, his arm wrapping itself around her heaving shoulders. "I'm sorry," he said quietly.

Tears flowed even heavier down the girl's cheeks as she fell into Kairi's arms, for the first time in years, not thinking about Tadase or Ikuto, not worrying about who she was dating, or who she had to protect. The only thoughts that seemed to be able to enter her mind were those of her and Kairi, and the fact that he was there for her, holding her, when she needed someone most.

And, as she sobbed, burying her face in Kairi's chest, he felt his heart swell slightly, despite the seriousness of the situation. Though it pained him greatly to see her so distraught, he was glad that he was the one there to comfort Amu. He frowned, stomach clenching with guilt over destroying the egg and taking some satisfaction from holding her while she sobbed, and gazed up toward the sky.

He started, noticing someone standing on the roof of the building above him; a teenage girl by her height and long, flowing hair. The rays of sunlight glinted on the black leather of her short dress, and gave her dark hair a halo sort of look, but, otherwise, she was concealed in shadow. He frowned and opened his mouth to call out to the girl, but, strangely, she lifted a hand and– _waved?_ Her shoulders rose and fell briefly in what Kairi assumed was a laugh, lost in the wind, and turned her back on him before leaping off the building.

* * *

"Too bad," the girl said as she skipped down the street, her ginger hair catching the late afternoon sunlight, making it look as if it were on fire. "I really thought we'd get a show this time, not some mushy confessional." She stuck her tongue out and made a gagging noise while rolling her eyes, leaping onto a bench and walking along it. "Besides, now I've lost a minion for good!" she continued, frustrated. "If it's purified, I can still turn it back into X Egg later, but they had to go and shatter the damn thing!" She huffed angrily and hopped off the bench, now sulking as she walked down the sidewalk.

"Now that those two have Failed," Mizu said, ignoring her Bearer's pouting. "Who do you plan to test next? The Little King, perhaps?"

The girl pondered this for a moment, looking thoughtfully toward the orange sky. "Good question, Mizu," she muttered, then the familiar dark smirk wound its way onto her lips again. "I think… The Little King can wait. I have a much bigger exam in store for him," she said maliciously. "I believe the Little Jack is due for an evaluation."

* * *

_**Awww, such a KairixAmu moment 3 We need more KairixAmu fanart out there, dang it!**_

_**Ooh, getting creepier now, isn't it? What could that girl mean by "tests," "exams," and "lessons?" And who IS she? Keep reading to find out! Reviews always appreciated!**_


	30. Yaya's Dilemma

_**Quick Note: Sorry I'm taking a little longer now a days, I just had Band Camp and I've got summer homework to finish up before school starts up in two weeks (yikes!) and now I've got evening practices for Colorguard! Long story short, I won't be able to update as often now (tear D':), but I won't forget about this story! Now, on with the chapter!**_

* * *

**Yaya's Dilemma**

Beads of sweat broke out across Yaya's forehead as she strained her ears to listen to the recording of a man speaking in English. _Right,_ she thought, recognizing the first sentence he rattled off. _Wait… what did he just say? Bring a Pizza to the bookstore? No, that can't be right…_

Panic slowly started to settle into the sixteen-year-old's stomach. _I don't understand!_ she cried mentally. _I wish I could as Mrs. Jones to slow it down! Oh, I'm going to fail for sure!_

"Don't worry, Yaya-chan!" Hoshi whispered as she sat on Yaya's desk, smiling reassuringly up at her Bearer. "You can do it!"

"Right!" Pepe squeaked quietly, nodding. "Go, go, Yaya-chan!"

Yaya smiled down at her Charas, determination attempting to cover up her fear. "Right!" she echoed her baby-themed Chara. "I _can_ do this!" Ignoring the strange looks from her neighbors, the girl grinned and began filling out answers on her sheet. _I can do this!_

* * *

"I failed?" Yaya exclaimed. Her teacher had called her back at the bell which signaled that lunch break had started to discuss something with her, but she hadn't guessed it would be this. "That – That can't be right!"

Mrs. Jones sighed and brushed her hair behind her ear, regarding her student with a look full of mingled worry and pity. "I'm sorry, Yuiki-san," she said in a sorrowful tone. "I'm very worried about you. Your scores from Junior High are lower as well, and if you don't pick it up, you might fail the course entirely."

"No!" Yaya cried, unable to stop herself. "I can't fail English! I need it to graduate!" Her eyes began to fill with frightened and worried tears.

"I know," the teacher said in an understanding voice, her face still worried. "I can set up some tutoring lessons for you perhaps? Are you busy in the evenings?"

Yaya's face and hopes fell. Her shoulders slumped. "I have ballet five nights a week," she said glumly.

"Hmm," Mrs. Jones mused, her eyebrows lowering in thought. "Well, if you wouldn't mind eating lunch inside, I could spend some one-on-one time with you during the week?" she offered finally. "Or, do your parents would allow you to stay after school for tutoring three afternoons a week?"

_So I either have to give up my lunches or stay late at school_, Yaya thought miserably. _I hate this._ "I'll have to think about it," she mumbled, defeated.

Mrs. Jones nodded with a small smile at her student and reached out to touch Yaya's hand in a kindly way. "I want to help you, Yuiki-san," she said. "Please let me know as soon as you can. You may go now," she added.

Yaya gave a sad, small nod and shuffled out of the classroom. "What am I going to do, you guys?" she whimpered to her Charas once they were out on the grounds. "I can't fail English, but I don't want to give up all my free time!"

"But if you fail English, you won't be able to graduate!" Pepe repeated the words of her Bearer.

"I know, I know!" Yaya sighed heavily; a strangely adult sound, especially for her. "Maybe it's not worth it. Maybe I should just drop out and dance full-time."

"You need an education, Yaya-chan!" Pepe cried, surprised at her Bearer's lack of confidence.

"Even though I would love to help you further your efforts in ballet," Hoshi said, her face full of worry. "I have to agree with Pepe. You have to try your hardest to stay in school, Yaya-chan."

Yaya sighed again. "Aah, this is too much to think about!" she burst out, her lower lip sticking out. She was reverting to acting childish; her method of coping when things got too grown-up to deal with. "Let's ask Kukai for advice." Without waiting for a reply from her Charas, she began to race down the hallway toward the grassy courtyard where they usually ate lunch.

They reached it fairly quickly, and, spotting the familiar tousled red hair in the group of teenagers, Yaya raised her hand and began to yell out to him.

She stopped abruptly though, spotting the pigtailed blonde hair of Kukai's girlfriend, Utau Hoshina. The two were smiling serenely, their heads bent close together in an intimate sort of way, while the others carried through a conversation, as if they were in their own little world. Amu was sitting strangely close to Kairi, smiling at him and blushing every now and again while she talked to Rima, who was feeding grapes to Nagihiko while they both laughed at what Amu was saying. Kairi was smiling as well, looking much less anal than he usually did, and quite relaxed. His hand kept twitching toward Amu's, as if he wanted to reach out for her. They all seemed very happy.

And, somehow, it made Yaya feel miserable. Didn't any of them notice that she was gone? Why did it suddenly seem like they were all split into pairs?

The sixteen-year-old turned slowly, her face falling again. They didn't need her, she thought despondently. They were perfectly happy by themselves. Why would they want childish little Yaya ruining their adult lives? They didn't, really. She slowly turned her back on the group she had called her friends.

* * *

"Oh!" Amu exclaimed while Nagi and Rima laughed at a story she had just told about her sister, Ami, when she had been three. "I just realized something!"

"What?" Rima asked, still giggling.

Amu turned her head this way and that, looking around the courtyard. "Yaya's not here!"

"Oh yeah," Kukai said, eyebrows lifting slightly with this enlightenment, pulling the earbud that he and Utau were sharing out of his ear. "You're right, Hinamori." He craned his neck to look behind him. "She's usually the first one here."

Amu frowned slightly. "I guess she's back in the library," she said slowly. "Studying for that English test."

"That can't be it, she has English before lunch," Kukai said.

"Oh," the pink-haired girl said, her frown deepening. "I didn't know that."

Kukai shrugged, trying to shake the strange feeling in the pit of his stomach. "Maybe she's off with some of her other friends." _But_, he pointed out to himself silently, _she doesn't really have any other friends. She usually runs around with us all the time._

But the others all muttered their agreements of "Yeah, I guess" and slowly restarted their conversations, so Kukai dismissed his unsupported worries and leaned his back toward Utau, stuffing the earbud back into his ear and losing himself in the music that was flowing from her iPod…

* * *

"Yaya-chan?" Pepe said tentatively, following her Bearer as she began to walk slowly and carefully down the hallway, the way they had just come from. "Aren't you going to–?"

"I-I think a walk will help me decide better," Yaya said, plastering a fake smile on her face. "I'll just think it out!" She gave a short, false laugh and began fiddling with the strap of her schoolbag. "B-besides," she added, as though unable to stop herself from giving an unnecessary explanation. "I don't want to bother them. They're all so happy right now…" She stared down at her feet, trying to fight the pricking sensation in her eyeballs and focus on walking, which resulted in her steps being much slower and more careful than usual. _Left, heel, toe… right, heel, toe… Left, heel, toe… right, heel, toe… Left, heel, toe… right, heel, toe…_

"Yuiki-san?"

Yaya jerked violently when the unexpected voice said her name, tripping when she brought her left foot forward too fast and caught herself around her right heel. "Ah!" she cried, waving her hands wildly to stop herself from falling. After a moment of flailing, she managed to right herself, and turned toward the person who she had come across unknowingly, and gave a little yelp of surprise. "T-Tadase-chan?"

The blonde boy smiled at her. He was standing right in front of Yaya. If she had gone two more paces, she would have run straight into him. "Are you all right?" he asked in his polite voice.

"F-fine!" Yaya laughed, a little too much for the innocent question. "Great! I was just walking– What are you doing here, Tadase-chan?" she changed the subject abruptly.

Still smiling, Tadase said, "I was speaking to Ojiwa-sensei about an upcoming school spirit day."

Yaya gave another shrill laugh and began fiddling with the bow that was tied around her left pigtail. "C-cool!" she said overenthusiastically. "W-well, I guess I'll just–"

"Are you sure you're okay, Yuiki-san," Tadase asked, concern now touching his smile. He must have noticed that her laughing and cheerful attitude were forced.

"U-um," the sixteen-year-old said, trying to keep the smile cemented on her face. When she failed under Tadase's kind, concerned eyes, she dropped the act with another large sigh. "I'm about to fail English," she admitted to her shoes.

"Oh, I'm very sorry, Yuiki-san," the blonde boy said genuinely. "If you ever need some help– Well, I was always very good with foreign languages." He smiled again at the girl.

Yaya's spirits lifted. Spending extra hours with Mrs. Jones, although she was a nice teacher, had seemed unbearable, but she _knew_ Tadase… "Y-you mean it?" the girl asked tentatively, a tiny smile pulling at her mouth.

"Of course," Tadase said, closing the gap between them. "I could tutor you if you'd like?"

"Yes!" Yaya exclaimed, throwing her arms suddenly around the older boy's neck, receiving a small noise of surprise. "Thank you so much, Tadase-chan!"

He let out a small laugh and gently patted the girl's back. "Really," he said, smiling as she pulled back, her brown eyes sparkling happily, "it's no problem, Yuiki-san. We can–"

"How come you still call me that?" she demanded suddenly, cutting the boy off.

"Eh– What?" Tadase stammered, taken aback by the turn in emotion.

"You call me 'Yuiki-san' still!" she said with exasperation, though a smile still lingered on her face. "We've known each other since Elementary School, Tadase-chan! You still talk to me like we just met!"

"Um, wh-what would you prefer I call you, then?" Tadase asked kindly, smiling faintly and slightly nervously, afraid he had offended his friend.

"Yaya-chan!" she said automatically, as if it were obvious. "Yuiki-san sounds too grown-up anyway." She pouted again.

Tadase laughed. "Alright then," he said, still grinning. "Yaya-chan it is."

"Good!" Yaya said approvingly, giving him the thumbs up. Then she laughed and threw her arm around Tadase's neck, pointing ahead. "To the library!" she cried with another laugh and began to march dramatically down the hall, her legs rigid as she tried to attempt a military walk.

Though he was struggling under the shorter girl's arm, Tadase managed to laugh and keep his school bag from sliding off his shoulder. "We're starting now?" he laughed.

"Of course!" Yaya said, again as though it were a given, with another laugh. "We have to start as soon as possible!"

"Yeah, she needs all the help she can get," Pepe added, dodging a swipe from Yaya.

"Oh, quiet, you!" the teenager said, scowling at her Chara, though the gesture was canceled out by the smile on her face.

They continued to march down the hall, laughing and joking lightheartedly. Yaya almost forgot about Kukai, Utau and the others, completely content spending time with Tadase, even if they were only studying.

* * *

_**Oh dear God, is TadaYaya making an appearance in here too? I DON'T EVEN SHIP THEM WTF.**_

_**Ah well, I wanted to include pretty much every pairing in here, so I guess it's okay. I JUST WISH IT HAD ASKED MY PERMISSION BEFORE IT POPPED UP IN **__**MY**__** STORY. SERIOUSLY. THIS IS MY STORY, RIGHT? I'm not so sure any more…**_

_**Um.**_

_**Okay so a big big thank you to everybody who's been reading and reviewing, and keeping up with this dramatic and lovey-dovey story. It can get pretty stupid sometimes; I question whether or not I was high when I planned all these things out sometimes… (Don't tell my parole officer, he'd have a cow)**_

_**Well then, now that I've encouraged drug abuse and gone into an all-caps rage, I think it's time to get out of here and work on something else… Something a bit more sane… Damn it, I can't find anything. I guess I'll just settle for writing another chapter… ;)**_

_**Reviews always appreciated!**_


	31. Another Update Quite Overdue!

_**Oh lurd, I did it again...**_

_**It seems I like to take extended hiatuses, huh? Well, allow me to explain...**_

_**Things have been kind of hectic here, what with competitions eating up all my Saturdays and practices monopolizing Tuesdays and Thursdays, I haven't had a whole lot of time to keep my grades up, not to mention writing my favorite stories. Even though marching season is over now, I've been in a bad place for a while now. Since my last update, I've slipped into clinical depression and am fighting the darkness most days. But, hopefully, like some sort of therapy, writing can help bring light back into my life.**_

_**Winterguard, the second season of colorguard, is starting up soon, but I won't have practices very often (all our choreography will be taught in class) and competitions aren't until February. Hopefully, I'll be able to find the journal that has all the plans for Later Years within it and I can start writing on a regular basis again, optimistically, before winter break is over (we go back Tuesday the third– yay!). Maybe, as a special treat, I'll write a little flash-back Christmas/New Years story and have it up by 2012, eh? Happy Holidays everyone, thank you so much for reading and reviewing, and remembering Later Years, even when I didn't.**_


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